


Ripped Away

by Reality_and_Spirit



Series: The Birth of Legends [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anger, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Swearing, fuck you cyrus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2020-11-08 02:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20827784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reality_and_Spirit/pseuds/Reality_and_Spirit
Summary: Though the best efforts of many were put into stopping Team Galactic, spirit was still wiped from most living creatures using the Red Chain and it's powers. However, the new universe was not created, leaving the team to believe that though spirit is (mostly) gone, the world is still incomplete. Ever so slowly, the chain is used to rip apart the current world in order to find the rulers of time and space to finally create the new world. The six guardians of the Sinnoh region are powerless, so they connect with three children about to become Pokemon trainers, and now, they have to find a way to revert the world to the way it was, and put an end to Team Galactic and the chains.Based off a mixture of games and manga- and a tiny bit of anime.





	1. The New Beginning

Mount Coronet was a large, long, exhausting, and confusing path to walk, but Team Galactic was determined to make it to their destination. They had everything they needed to bring forth the embodiments of Time and Space, and they were going to get this done. The Spear Pillar was as beautiful as they had thought. Quickly and silently, the team fanned out amongst the pillars, preparing for any intruders, which was highly likely due to the few meddlers who were aware of and determined to stop their plans.

Just as predicted, the three kids, Lucas, Dawn, and Barry, did come, with determined expressions and their three fully evolved starters behind them. Lucas had Torterra, Dawn had Empoleon, and Barry had Infernape. They rushed forward, but Mars and Jupiter stepped in front of them with smirks, sending out eight Golbat and ordering them to use Supersonic. 

"Empoleon, use Bubble Beam!" Dawn shouted, flinching away from the Golbat. Empoleon opened it's tightly scrunched eyes and obliged, spitting out the jet of bubbles, hitting and easily dispatching three of the Golbat. She grinned at her partner, before turning to Barry, who had ordered Infernape to use Mach Punch on two of the Golbat. This means three more were left, which Lucas' Torterra easily knocked out using Leaf Storm. Jupiter and Mars sent out Skuntank and Purugly in one last attempt to thwart them.

"Skuntank, use Flamethrower!"  
"Purugly, use Shadow Ball!"  
"Infernape, shield Torterra!"  
"Torterra, use Energy Ball!"

The commotion caused Cyrus to turn, and a ghost of a smile covered his face, before he activated the Red Chain.

"Come forth. Dialga. Palkia."

The five stopped and gaped at the two holes that had opened up in front of Cyrus. One was a light blue, and the other was a purplish-pink. 

"Oh?" Mars smiled. "Our plans have now been put into place. You three are far too late."

Barry had always been a little irritated by Mars, due to her snarky attitude, but this was on a whole new level. He shouted at her.  
"Are you fucking crazy?"  
"Nope! Just a little too sane." she replied.

Lucas stared at Jupiter and her Skuntank, and ordered Infernape to use Mach Punch again, which was super effective against the dark type, resulting in a faint. Dawn slowly moved forward, staring in horror at the holes. Cyrus reached forward, and the two Pokemon began to emerge, the Red Chains wrapping around them. Horrible screeching came from both Pokemon as they desperately struggled against the prisons.

"They don't want to destroy this world either." Dawn quietly murmured to herself.

"Stop this at once, Team Galactic!"

All of them turned, and saw her. The champion, Cynthia, and her infamous Garchomp. At this point, Dialga and Palkia had both stopped struggling and now simply hung there, unable to resist anymore. Lucas felt bad for them. They were just innocent creatures after all. Innocent creatures who just wanted to govern their own worlds and elements in peace. Now, they would have to destroy the world that they had created eons ago. Mars was right. They were too late. Unless..

He turned to Cynthia. "We have to free them." he told her, and she nodded.  
However, Cyrus was having none of that.  
"Dialga, the master of Time."  
"And the other."  
"Palkia, the master of Space and Dimensions."  
"Create a new world, without the incomplete thing that we call spirit. Bring this world to its end- no.. its new beginning!"

Dawn's head suddenly snapped up as she heard the cry of the legendary Pokemon that she had tried to protect at Lake Acuity, but unfortunately failed. Uxie, the Being of Knowledge, was here. Lucas suddenly turned the the southwest, seeing a light pink ball of light travelling towards the mountain. Similarly, he heard the cry of the Pokemon that he had tried to rescue at Lake Verity. Mesprit, the Being of Emotion, had arrived. Lastly, Barry turned to the east, where a final blue ball of light was travelling. The Pokemon that he had watched suffer due to a bomb at Lake Valor. Azelf, the Being of Willpower, was the last to arrive, briefly doing a flip before joining its friends. Barry smiled briefly at the energy the Willpower Pokemon had, but then turned back to face Cyrus, and his new Pokemon. 

Lucas stared at Dialga with a desperate expression on his face. The deep crimson eyes showed no emotion, no sign of any sort of sadness. It was as emotionless as the man now controlling it. Barry stared at Palkia, only to find the same results. Cyrus gazed up at the three Pokemon, who had come to a halt and now gazed back at the Team Galactic leader.

"So they came. Uxie, the Being of Knowledge. Mesprit, the Being of Emotion. Azelf, the Being of Willpower."

He narrowed his eyes and Dialga and Palkia turned to face the lake guardians. 

"So, the three lake Pokemon have come to protect Sinnoh? Hmph. Pathetic and worthless. Show them what I mean, you two."

Dialga and Palkia immediately prepared their attacks. However, a black goo began to stretch beneath them, which opened into a distorted looking hole. Cynthia's eyes widened, and Barry saw Azelf briefly smirk before narrowly dodging an attack from Palkia and letting out an upset cry.

"Hey, leave Azelf alone, you pink innuendo!" he shouted at the space demigod.

It glanced at him with an unconcerned expression, before flicking its tail dismissively. He hissed, but decided not to piss it or Cyrus off by having Infernape attack it. Not that fire type moves would do anything against a water AND dragon type. That was like, the closest thing to being immune to fire type attacks. Before Cyrus could say anything, a Pokemon shot up from the hole, knocking Uxie and Dialga aside and hovering above all of them. The Pokemon felt even more intimidating than Dialga and Palkia. Not to mention that it had the same emotionless crimson eyes as well. 

"Interesting. The Pokemon that comes from shadows." Cyrus held out both hands and Dialga and Palkia once again prepared their most powerful attacks. Both launched them, and immediately the other Pokemon vanished into thin air.

"W-what was that?!" Lucas exclaimed, shocked.  
"It just disappeared.." Dawn muttered, her blue eyes glittering.  
"Did it get scared off by the attacks?" Barry questioned with a now terrified expression.

However, the Pokemon suddenly materialized in front of Dialga and crashed into it, and pinned it against the ground, preparing what looked like a fire type attack. Meanwhile, Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit all approached Palkia, who stared back at them without a sound.

Cyrus shouted at them to fight back, but dark energy suddenly shocked both of them and they cried out in pain. "They're fighting the chain!" Cynthia informed them excitedly. "We still have a chance!"

The Lake Guardians surrounded the Spatial Pokemon and began to glow their respective colors. That's when the chain surrounding Palkia completely and utterly shattered. Now freed, the Pokemon collapsed to the ground and Cyrus gritted his teeth. Barry rushed to Palkia and stared at it in horror. The creature weakly lifted its head and gazed at its companions with something that almost seemed like sorrow, and Azelf lowered down in front of him with a fierce expression. It pointed at Palkia, then at the other two. Lucas joined him and took in Palkia for a second, before simply saying something.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't protect you and your friends."

Palkia briefly glanced at him, before letting out a soft noise that sounded like a sigh and it lifted itself onto its feet. Barry grinned, understanding what Azelf wanted to tell him. He turned to Lucas.

"Azelf and Palkia.. they're trying to ask us to help save Dialga and that other Pokemon. I can just feel it."

Dawn and Cynthia overheard and joined the two.

"In that case, we should enlist the help of the Lake Guardians."

"Azelf, will you help us?" Barry asked. Azelf grinned cheerfully and did a backflip before settling on the blond boy's head. The trainer did an energetic jump before calling to Infernape. 

Mesprit and Uxie slowly approached Lucas and Dawn respectively. 

"Mesprit, please help us! I don't want any more Pokemon to suffer and I really need to your help to stop that from happening!" Lucas begged the Emotion Pokemon, who smiled as it patted his head, before turning to face the battle and its expression faded back to serious.

The shadowy Pokemon used its powerful tail to slam Dialga into a pillar, which completely shattered the base. It fell towards them, and Barry shouted at Infernape to use Mach Punch. It tried, but it barely left a dent in the stone. Palkia fired an Aura Sphere at the spot that Infernape had hit. That did the trick, and the water type slammed the top half of the split pillar away with its tail. 

"Wow, Palkia! Thanks a ton!" Barry called up to it, and Infernape let out a grateful cry. He then turned to Azelf.  
"We have to stop them from doing something like that again. Do you think you could seperate them?"

The crystal on Azelf's head began to glow white, and the light surrounded it's entire body. It cried out before diving towards the two Pokemon and finding a gap in between the two, before twisting around and straight up detonating itself like a bomb. The explosion was absolutely massive, knocking over two other pillars and completely seperating the two Pokemon, even despite the immunity the shadowy Pokemon seemed to have to the normal type attack. All three kids lifted their arms to shield themselves from the blinding light that came from Explosion. After the light faded, Barry instinctively rushed forward to catch the weakened Azelf. 

Dawn glanced at Uxie. "Please help us free Dialga and put them at peace again, my good friend." She reached out towards the Knowledge Pokemon, and it bumped one of its small hands against hers, before the crystal on its head began to glow in a similar way to Azelf's, but the white light didn't spread over its entire body the way Azelf's move did, which knocked out the possibility of it being another Explosion attack. It flew in between the two legendary Pokemon and created a green barrier to keep them seperated. 

Lucas stepped forward alongside Mesprit, and quietly spoke. "It's our turn, Mesprit. Please."  
The pink and gray Pokemon flew up towards where Uxie hovered, and it began to glow a bright pink, before Lucas was suddenly hit by two streams of somehow materialized rage. He suddenly understood what Mesprit had done. It had connected his heart to that of Dialga and the other one, which he now understood was called Giratina. He glanced up and smiled at the shadowy Pokemon.

"Please, do not be angry at Dialga. It is not itself right now. Please, help us return the world to the way it was."

The Pokemon's rage began to vanish, as it flicked its gaze to Dialga once more. Then, it turned back to Lucas and gave a simple nod. Lucas thanked it, before the sudden world of emotions faded away. He glanced up with a gasp and saw Mesprit falling towards him. Lucas reached up and gently cradled the Emotion Pokemon to his chest, thanking it quietly.

Dawn suddenly saw Palkia move and saw that it was flying up to the shadowy Pokemon's position. Neither of them made any moves to attack the other, but instead nodded at eachother and turned to face Dialga. The shadowy Pokemon fired a Shadow Ball meanwhile Palkia fired an Aura Sphere. By combining their powerful attacks, the two Pokemon were able to shatter the Red Chain, and Dialga was set free. 

With that out of the way, Lucas hurried over to the the Temporal Pokemon in order to make sure it was alright. 

Cyrus closed his eyes with a ghost of a smile. Cynthia approached him.  
"Your plans have failed."  
Cyrus turned to face the champion.  
"No. They have just began."  
He held out his hand, and the red crystal on his hand began to glow. It brightened until it was too bright to look at, and then a sudden force came from the crystal.  
"As long as I have the power that the Red Chain has now reached, I no longer need Dialga and Palkia to fulfill my destiny."  
The force engulfed Spear Pillar, and red waves flowed over the ground. 

"Urgh!" Dawn shouted, terrified.  
"What the hell?" Barry screeched as he was suddenly launched into a collapsing pillar. Azelf cried out in pain and fear, and Infernape grabbed his trainer.  
Lucas was also swept back by the force, but he was suddenly grabbed by Dialga. Surprised, he looked at the time demigod and grinned, thanking the powerful legendary creature. 

Cynthia looked shocked, but she quickly realised that the Red Chain had been used enough that its maximum potential had come out. So they had failed after all. With that sort of power, she realised, Cyrus was correct. He didn't need the time and space Pokemon anymore. She looked at said Pokemon, and immediately knew that they were just as aware of it. Cynthia closed her eyes as she felt the emotions fade from her. She tried to summon up the willpower that she had just moments ago, but it was all gone. 

Azelf was growing weaker, Barry noted. He closed his eyes and used his legs to shield the lake guardian from the force. The amber eyes of the creature peered up weakly at him. Dawn grabbed Uxie and rushed over to Barry, feeling horrified, yet even the horror was fading from her. 

The light faded, and the three kids looked up. First thing they noticed was that most of the adults looked emotionless and demotivated, except Cynthia, who seemed almost bewildered. Giratina let out an enraged scream, and Dialga buried its large head in its front legs. Palkia shoved Lucas towards Dawn and Barry with a sudden force. He yelped in surprise, and Palkia looked somewhat relieved that he still had emotions. However, it activated its telepathy for the first time in many years.

"Go. Go now. You have to save your companions."

Lucas was shocked at the sudden voice, and then realized the legendary Pokemon was referring to the weakened lake guardians. He looked at Barry and Dawn with a determined expression. "We have to go." he said. "We need a plan of some sort. We need to see the damage. And most importantly, we need to get help. Especially for Azelf, and its friends. He looked sadly down at Mesprit, who was awake but in a state of shock. Shifting his gaze to Uxie, who seemed to be in the best condition of the three. It's one tail was twitching and it looked distressed, but it didn't really seem too physically exhausted. Knowledge was easily the hardest aspect of spirit to erase. 

Azelf, on the other hand, was in an absolutely horrible state. It curled its tails around itself, shaking horribly. The Willpower Pokemon was battered to hell and back, and it had little to none of what it was supposed to resemble in it at the moment. The worst part though, was how weak it seemed outside of the batter marks. Lucas was underexaggerating when he thought that the poor blue and gray creature looked literally half dead. It was easily in the worst state of the lake guardians. Lucas felt absolutely terrible.

A blinding yellow light flashed behind him, and he turned to see that it was coming from Palkia. Six orbs emerged from the jewels, and they surrounded the kids and their Pokemon. Suddenly, they were in Sandgem Town, in front of the Pokemon center. The people who saw them briefly looked at them, but showed no surprise or curiosity. Not to mention they all looked like they were going to fall over any second. Quickly, they rushed into the Pokemon center. They didn't have to worry about the lake guardians being spotted as emotions were wiped. So, they asked the nurse to heal the Pokemon, and she got to work, clearly making Azelf a priority over the other two since it was in the worst condition. Soon, the heartbeat rate stabilized, which made them all sigh in relief. After healing Uxie and Mesprit as much as they could, they left. 

"We should go to the lab." Barry spoke with a very serious expression, and the other two nodded. They rushed to the lab. The professor turned to greet them, and his eyes widened as he saw the three legendary Pokemon that symbolized spirit. 

"So. You met the lake guardians."

"Wait, you can still feel?" Lucas asked, surprised.

Professor Rowan nodded. "It surprises me too. I guess the sudden force wasn't able to affect everything."  
He turned to the three Pokemon in front of him. A Chimchar, a Turtwig, and a Piplup.  
"Is there new trainers coming?" Dawn asked.  
"Yes. In about a week. After the strange waves, I contacted them. Yet, they seem the same. No loss of emotion, willpower, or knowledge."

"Wait, WHAT?" Barry exclaimed. Azelf also looked surprised. Lucas and Dawn exchanged overjoyed glances to know that it was true that not everyone was affected.

"Let me guess. There's three?" Lucas interjected.

"You would be correct." Rowan spoke with his typical informative tone.

The three kids exchanged glances yet again. Meanwhile, the lake guardians leaped up and circled joyfully around eachother in the air.

Perhaps these new trainers could help them.


	2. Curiosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we're introduced to one of the three new trainers who will play a special role in saving the decaying universe, Calvin, a quiet but curious 10 year old boy who likes to read and learn things.

Today was supposed to be a special day for Calvin.  
He was going to become a Pokemon trainer today. How could that not be exciting for anyone? That was something that everyone, except Calvin, had thought. Calvin really did want to feel excited, but he was too busy worrying about what happened. Five weeks ago, a red light overtook as far as the naked eye could see, shaking the ground and making all the people around Calvin except for a select few look extremely tired, and if he was going to be honest, dead. They were completely emotionless now, unlike before the incident, where his mother's enthusiasm was unmatched. Shaking the thought off and kicking his blankets off, he slipped out of bed and got dressed, packing his relatively small bag. There was no way he was carrying an entire suitcase of stuff around with him if he didn't need most of the stuff in it. Maybe he could find out what that red light was through adventuring through the Sinnoh region. After all, Sinnoh was supposed to be a region full of mystery and mythology. Ah yes. Calvin had loved mythology since he was little, especially since he lived right near a lake said to have an extremely powerful legendary creature living in the lake, though very few had actually seen this Pokemon. It was unfortunate that there wasn't very much about Sinnoh mythology and the mystery of it's creation in books. Perhaps that was another thing he could learn through this journey.  
Calvin yawned and headed downstairs, smiling and waving to his mother hopefully. She simply looked at him with dead eyes. His hopes sank, and he grabbed his Running Shoes and left. Sighing, he looked around before exiting Twinleaf Town through the beautifully designed passage between Route 1 and his hometown. He stepped through and couldn't help but smile. Though most Pokemon were gone, he still saw a few who looked happy and friendly. That was, until he heard a cry and whipped around to see a Starly flying down towards him. He yelped and stumbled back, ducking to avoid the little Flying Pokemon. 

All he could really do was run. After all, he didn't have a Pokemon of his own to defend himself. He grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Starly, causing it to flinch. Then, he dashed down the route, feeling sweat drip down his neck. Adrenaline was the only thing allowing him to continue his run. He saw a passage ahead and hoped that may lead to Sandgem Town. So he dashed into it and breathed in the air. To his disappointment, there was no town, but a glistening body of water right in front of him. A strange air made his mind feel clear, and he realised this must be Lake Verity.  
Turning around, he saw a Torterra, and he jumped in surprise as a boy poked his head out from behind the massive Pokemon. In his arms was a strange-looking Pokemon that reminded him of a previous memory.. though he couldn't exactly pinpoint it. The Pokemon had curious amber eyes and a pink helmet-like head with four seperate appendages, two on each side of its head. As Calvin searched his memory, the nameless boy tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"  
Just as Starly burst out from the trees. Calvin yelped and tripped, and he braced himself. That was when a green light flashed in front of him, and he saw the mysterious Pokemon that the boy had been holding, hovering in front of Calvin, and it was the source of the green glow. It was staring at the Starly with a relaxed and friendly smile, before it turned flew down towards Calvin. He flinched as the Pokemon patted his head. Starly flew down and settled itself on his lap. He gasped, surprised at the suddenly friendly action. 

The boy rushed over, worry shining in his dark eyes.  
"Mesprit! You can't just do th-" he slapped his hands over his mouth, staring guiltily at Calvin.

"Mesprit?!"  
He had heard that name all too many times before. Mesprit was a Pokemon mentioned only in rumors and stories shared by the people of Twinleaf Town. His peers at school had whispered about one day trying to catch Mesprit in order to impress everyone and gain popularity. There was stories that parents used to get their kids to do things like eat healthy food and go to bed on time. "You should go to bed on time, or else Mesprit might come to get you!" is something that his mother had told him countless times. Then with a jolt of shock, he realised where he had seen this Pokemon. Mythology books. So, this was that legendary Pokemon that so many sought to obtain.

Calvin heard a child-like giggle, and the legendary Pokemon moved to sit on his shoulder. The boy watched, completely still and somewhat shocked, before speaking. "Wow.. I guess it really likes you if it saved you like that. My name is Lucas by the way." He turned to look at the Starly. It nodded cheerfully before taking off with a much calmer cry than the initial. Calvin shifted his gaze to the pink sprite sitting on his right shoulder. Then it occurred to him that there was something off about Mesprit just wandering around like that. Lucas clearly saw the look on his face, and he spoke seriously.  
"I think you should come with me. I assume you're lost, because not many people come around here. I'll take you to the lab and introduce you to my friends!" Calvin perked up and immediately nodded, not seeing any better options and also wanting to go to the lab either way. Lucas grinned and tapped Mesprit. "Time for invisibility, little sprite. Nobody can see you."  
Mesprit sadly crooned but vanished anyways. Calvin could still feel a light weight on his shoulder, and a tail wrapping itself around his neck. He chuckled and Lucas gestured for him to follow. As they were heading along, Calvin felt a sudden jolt of electricity shoot up his spine, and he stopped, looking around. His eyes flicked past one tree, and as he did, he saw the biggest creature he had ever seen in real life. However, as he turned to look again, the creature literally vanished the exact same way that Mesprit had. He shivered, and Lucas turned. "Is something wrong? Oh, I forgot to ask your name. I'm forgetful like that sometimes.."  
"Calvin." the disturbed boy mumbled. He wondered if he should tell Lucas about what he just saw. However, he felt a strange force compelling him to keep it secret. Mesprit nudged him, and he wondered if the Being of Emotion knew what that creature was, or even if it caused the creature to appear. Calvin shook his head though.

The rest of the walk was silent. He somewhat appreciated how quiet Lucas could be. Finally, someone who was potentially good company who actually seemed to tolerate him. It felt like forever when they finally got to the lab, and he was immediately greeted by three Pokemon who bounced up to him happily. He heard footsteps, and looked up to see a boy with blonde hair and strange-looking clothes, and a girl with a scarf, a pretty toque with a pink Pokeball printed on it, and black hair. They were looking at Lucas.

"Where's Mesprit?" the girl asked quietly.

Lucas looked around for a second, then glanced quizzically at Calvin's shoulder. A giggle sounded, and Mesprit made itself visible, still balanced on Calvin's shoulder with one tail wrapped around his neck. "Eeek!" the boy sprang back. "I'll never get used to Mesprit messing around like that. Also, who are you?"

"This is Calvin. I met him at Lake Verity and Mesprit seems to have taken a really big liking to him. It hasn't left his shoulder since the lake." Lucas explained. "Calvin, meet Barry and Dawn." he pointed to each of them as he said their names, though Calvin could have guessed for himself. He waved with a shy smile, when something else poked him. Mesprit squeaked happily and nodded as if approving something.

Calvin opened his mouth when yet another Pokemon materialized out of thin air. This one looked very similar to Mesprit, except it had it's eyes tightly shut and it's head shape was much different. Also, it's head was yellow. He nearly jumped, but the Pokemon put its hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Mesprit lifted from his shoulder and flew back to Lucas. It was almost a relief if Calvin was going to be honest. 

"Uxie. What are you doing?" Dawn asked. Despite the words being something someone would say if someone else was doing something really stupid, her tone seemed genuinely curious.

The pixie turned to Dawn and it's crystals briefly flashed, before it settled itself gently on Calvin's lap, tails twitching. Calvin realised that this must be the Uxie that Dawn had just mentioned. The aura it gave off was much less overwhelming and energetic than Mesprit's, which was also a relief, but yet, it gave off the same clarity as the Emotion Pokemon. He looked up at the girl questioningly.

"Wow.. it seems Uxie takes a liking to you as well. Perhaps Mesprit knew Uxie would like him, so it attached itself to him briefly so that he'd have to stick with Lucas." she commented.

"Not to say Mesprit doesn't like you!" Lucas quickly added, and the sprite hovering above him quickly nodded. Calvin smiled, petting Uxie.

"So.. uhm.. pardon my language, but can somebody explain to me what the hell is going on, and why there are just mythical, one-of-a-kind Pokemon just flying around without a care in the world like this?" At this, Barry started bouncing on one foot, and Calvin heard a muffled cry of protest and the trainer's bag flew open, and yet another Pokemon shot out. This one had a blue head and big, round amber eyes that held the same curious light as Mesprit's. The Pokemon halted and looked at him curiously, but didn't attach itself like Mesprit or Uxie. Calvin grinned, feeling faintly amused at how Barry's enthusiasm forced it out, but immediately smacked himself, remembering the term for these three Pokemon.

'All of the lake guardians? Here? Why? So if this one on my lap is Uxie, and the pink one is Mesprit.. this one must be the last of the three, Azelf.' Azelf saw Calvin's laughter, and puffed its cheeks in protest. He waved at the lake guardian, who was quite frankly as adorable as its siblings. 

"Sorry, Azelf." Barry cried, patting the blue Pokemon. "I think we need to explain this to Calvin though, since your siblings seem to think he deserves to know."

So, they whipped up a drink, and headed into another room. They each took turns explaining, and Calvin tried to do his best to understand and comprehend what had happened. "So, let me sum this up." he said this in a quizzical tone.  
"Some madman who is very probably a psychopath decided to make a cult full of asshats in order to try and enslave Pokemon gods- the ones who shaped the entire UNIVERSE- to try and create a new universe, and they'd use a magic chain made of magic crystals from the Pokemon who balance out the gods they want to enslave, and then yet ANOTHER god- this time a shadowy one- appeared and freed one of the enslaved gods from the magic chain, and this god helped you guys free the other god alongside the shadowy god who appeared. Once that one was freed.. you guys let out a victory cry and he used the magical chain to erase the spirits of most humans and Pokemon, though there are still some who were unaffected because the chain wasn't powerful enough by itself.. and then the god of space, Palkia, basically told you to get the fuck off of that mountain using telepathy and then you guys don't know what happened because you teleported.."

To his surprise, the trio burst out laughing. "I don't think it told us to get the fuck out, just to go get help for the lake guardians because they were injured." Lucas choked out through giggles. "So basically, 'fuck off until you help your friends.' Got it." Calvin shot back. Then Uxie yawned, and he found himself yawning as well. 

Dawn giggled again. "You two are just in sync! Let's get you a bedroom, we were there for a while. Professor Rowan should get back tomorrow as well." 

\-----

As he lay there that night, he found himself wondering about a whole bunch of things. Mostly about the lake guardians, particularly how much of a liking Uxie had taken to him. What made Uxie like him so much? He wasn't powerful. He wasn't energized. He wasn't even all that smart compared to a lot of people. Exhaustion overcame him and he fell asleep.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and found himself looking into small, emotionless, and downright creepy crimson eyes. He yelped and sprang back, observing the creature. Realization panged him as he realised, this must have been what he saw in the forest. It stared at him, and he stared back, searching his mind for mentions of this Pokemon.

'I-is it possible that this is..?'  
'No way.'  
'There's no other Pokemon that matches this Pokemon's appearance!'

He hated not knowing, and he hated having to remember to find information that he should naturally know. This was what he had spent hours studying! Mythology. The Pokemon of Time and Space.

"Why am I here..?"

He thought he heard a voice bouncing back, but he could be imagining it.

_'Help.'_

That's when Calvin felt something wrap itself around his neck, and he jolted awake to find.. it was Uxie. It had been trying to wake him up. He took a deep breath and looked at the yellow Pokemon. "What is it..? Is something wrong?" Uxie nodded, and just now did he realise that he could use the angle of the line that seperated its eyelids to guess its emotions. In this case, it looked fearful and also curious. It flew to the window and gestured, and what he saw there made him cover his mouth.

It was the same Pokemon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO MUCH LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE AND I HAD TO REWRITE IT LIKE 6 TIMES IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY BE SOMEWHAT OKAY WITH IT-  
I'm really sorry this took so long, it really shouldn't have. Between schoolwork, procrastination, and a small writer's block, it took forever but hopefully I'll get Chapter 3 out faster.


	3. The Dreamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella, an emotional dreamer, seems to meet a creature that cries to her for help over and over again. Finally, she gets a piece of evidence, only to be even more confused as she meets one of the fellow new trainers and befriends a legendary Pokemon.

Stella was always a dreamer, but the dreams she had been having as of lately haunted her like no other.

Dreams of a twisted alternate world where everything was off. No concept of time or space, no traces of regular life, disappearing and re-appearing tree-like entities and rocks, moving plateaus of weirdly colored stone, and wonky gravity. The only life she saw was a massive dragon-like shadow flying around her, letting out ghastly screams and cries that usually rang in her head for days, torturing her mind and preventing her from doing regular life function. Of course, there was those terrifyingly intense, glowing crimson eyes. Lastly, there was the voice in her head screaming in desperation for help. 

Stella was once again having one of those dreams, but yet, this one was a little different from the previous ones. This time, she was sitting on a small ledge, with no magical platforms in front of it, but instead, a yawning emptiness that she was terrified to think about should she fall down. She had no idea why this one was so different. Perhaps it was because she was going to become a new trainer tomorrow? That was the only thing new in her life. She was used to the terrifying sights of her dream world by now. Maybe she was supposed to walk towards the ledge? She stood up shakily and began walking towards the ledge. That's when the creature came. The shadowy veil that usually surrounded it seemed to fade, revealing its true colorings. It had yellow armor-like pieces and red stripes on it's belly. The shape was maintained, but she also noticed the spikes on the tip of those terrifying tentacles had also faded to a deep red color. 

'It's time. Help.' the voice rang in her head.  
'It's TIME?' Stella thought, feeling a shiver up her spine.

'Time for what?'

No answer. Stella hissed in frustration. If you were going to say something like that, could you at least not be all cryptic about it. The creature flew towards her, a cold yellow light piercing her stomach, just as she jolted awake, breathing heavily as she released her bottled-up fear. Anger caused her to throw her blankets off, get dressed, and storm out of her room. Of course, Mother wasn't home. Not that she would be much help due her exhausted attitude as of lately. She took the running shoes that her mother had bought her for her 10th birthday and slipped them on. Flinging her already packed bag on her back, and a small charm that her deceased grandfather had given her years ago, back in the hospital before he died to a terrifying sickness. She was still hurting over that, and she wanted him back more than ever because of how weird Mother was acting. Stella gazed into the charm. It was a heart, a heart which had beautiful depth to it and she found her head growing more clear when she looked into it.  
Stella swung open the door, waving with a smile to one of the gardeners of Twinleaf Town, only to get a stare that could have been confusion right back. Frustration caused her to storm out of town and walk through Route 1, and she had more luck with the Pokemon for sure. She even stopped for breakfast with them. This is about the time that she felt the sense of being trapped. She didn't know why, but it was an awful feeling that she hated. Stella kept moving, and she found herself in Sandgem Town in no time with her card. The lab was impossible to miss, with a large Pokeball symbol imprinted over the entrance and large letters over it saying "LAB." She quietly knocked on the door, hoping to whatever she could worship that there was somebody who had braincells here. The door opened, but the person who greeted her was.. another kid with black hair, wearing a red hat that Stella thought looked like a sailor's. He waved to her with a smile and she felt relieved, this had been the first time in weeks that she had seen a human with a smile on their face. She found her hand lifting up and she also waved with a smile. 

"Come in. My name's Lucas."

"Stella." she managed.

Her fear faded as she entered the labratory but confusion replaced that as she immediately felt something rubbing against her shoulder blade. She looked and saw nothing, but that was very clearly not just air. With surprise, she reached towards her shoulder blade and felt around. However, there was nothing there this time around. Stella gave the newly introduced Lucas a confused stare, and he shrugged, though there was something in his eyes that told Stella that he knew something. 

"Professor Rowan isn't here yet, so why don't you come to the other room and meet one of your fellow newbies?"

She nodded, and he pointed to another door, leading her over to it. Her nervousness at meeting another newbie shocked her. What if he was naturally better? What if he made fun of her? What if he was as emotionless as everybody seemed to be? Lucas saw her face, and turned to look at her.

"Don't worry, Calvin's a nice guy. Very smart, I should add."

Very smart. That didn't sound like Stella at all. She was more of an emotional person. As she thought that, that pressure on her shoulder came back. Stella hissed in surprise and slight frustration, feeling her shoulder. Lucas glanced at where she was trying to feel.

"For Arceus' sake, please stop antagonizing the new trainer. That's no way to treat someone."

The pressure immediately vanished, and Stella stared at him as if there was suddenly a flock of Starly coming out of his ears. So, he did know something. Suspicion curled its nasty talons around her, but she followed him anyways. The door opened to reveal an anxious-looking boy with a girl and another boy sitting across from him.

"Uh-oh." Lucas tipped his head, surprise flitting across his face. "This doesn't look like a very happy conversation."

Stella poked her head in.

"Lucas! This is no time for- is that one of the other two new trainers?!" the girl began to scold Lucas before she noticed Stella. Stella nodded as Lucas sat down in a chair beside the anxious-looking boy and the girl stood up.  
"Sorry about that. My name's Dawn, what about you?"

"My name is Stella." she wanted to be enthusiastic about it, but she was curious about what they were talking about it.

"Stella, why don't you come sit?" Lucas gestured to an empty chair and she walked over to it, putting her hands on the table. As she did, she felt a tail tickling it and small feet-like features settling themselves on her arm. 

"Okay." she sighed, starting to get a little irritated. "Lucas, what is this thing that you were talking to earlier? Because I think it's sitting on my arm."

His eyes widened.  
"Promise not to freak out?"

Stella highly doubted an invisible creature could freak her out more than her dreams. So, she nodded.

"Alright, come on out!"

There was a ripple in the air, and then, she saw it. A mysterious looking Pokemon. It was a primarily light gray Pokemon with two tails, each having a familiar looking red gem encrusted on the ends of each. It also had a pink helmet-like head with drooping appendages on each side and a red crystal engraved onto the middle of it's face. It also had large amber eyes.. She was intrigued by those red crystals, and she couldn't help but look at the charm. Was that a faint glow she saw from the charm..? Stella recognized this Pokemon as Mesprit. A legendary Pokemon said to sleep in Lake Verity, which was the closest lake to where she lived. She saw that the Pokemon's eyes were twinkling with amusement, and she couldn't help but chuckle. This Pokemon's happy vibes were clearly contagious. 

She slowly lifted her dark eyes back to Lucas and Calvin. Confusion dawned in them as she saw another one materialize beside Calvin. This one's eyes appeared to be tightly sealed shut, but it had a very similar appearance to the one sitting on her arm. Stella looked at it. She had only ever heard of Mesprit, she didn't bother to think of whether the other lakes of Sinnoh may have legendary Pokemon living in them.  
A tiny giggle jerked her attention back to Mesprit, who was covering its mouth as it tried not to explode with laughter. I slowly lifted my other hand, holding it out in front of Mesprit. It immediately bumped one of its own tiny, two-fingered hands against the one of the girl. 

"Hi." she said shyly. "I'm Stella."

The Verity lake guardian nodded as if it already knew what her name was.. which confused her. Surely this was the first time they had met?

"So, Mesprit's taken a liking to you, I see!" Calvin commented with a smile. Stella looked back up.  
"So you're the other newbie?"

Calvin nodded, maintaining the smile on his face. However, it quickly faded as he clearly remembered something.

"The Pokemon.. it flew at me when I went outside to get a closer look. Surely with how large it was, it should have knocked me over. But.. it seemed to melt into a blue light and pierced my chest. It was intense, but not painful. I've been feeling weird ever since.. and it seems like Uxie has been trying to tell me something."  
Stella winced, remembering her dream. The Pokemon flying into her.. the yellow light piercing her stomach, the strange anger that influenced her this morning.. and the trapped feeling. She opened her mouth, and closed it again. Dawn looked at her sharply.

"Is there something you wanted to say, Stella?"

"Uhm.." she averted her eyes from Dawn's, feeling more awkward than ever. Mesprit reassuringly wrapped its twin tails around her neck. 

"I had a similar experience.. in a dream though."  
Barry jumped up. "The hell did you just say?"  
Calvin and Lucas were staring at her in pure shock, but Dawn didn't show any sign of surprise. Calmly, she waved her hand. "Go on."  
"I've been having weird dreams for months. However.. none have been weirder than this world I've been in every night. Gravity is weird, time doesn't flow, trees and rocks grow and appear naturally, stone platforms move, and a weird dragon-like creature with six tentacles seems to fly by me all the time. Sometimes I hear cries for help."

Stella flinched, and Mesprit patted her head. She gratefully smiled at the lake guardian before continuing.

"Last night.. I was sitting on a ledge. There, the shadowy figure finally revealed itself. It had golden armor plates, and a black and red body. It said 'it's time. Help,' before transforming into a yellow light and flying into my stomach. Since then.. I've been feeling unusually angry and frustrated. And.. I've also felt strangely trapped."  
"Wait.." Dawn leaned in closer, her blue eyes now revealing her curiosity. "Describe that Pokemon again."

Stella repeated her description of the creature, adding in a couple extra details. Dawn's eyes grew wider with every detail.

"Giratina. It has to be." she finally concluded, and glanced at the yellow lake guardian, who was nodding. 

"Oh great." Barry rolled his amber eyes, looking exasperated. Stella wasn't sure if she liked him or not. "More of this legendary Pokemon jazz."  
"So.. Calvin, have you been feeling anything specific since you met that Pokemon?" Dawn asked.

"Uhm.. other than slightly tired, which is normal, I've been really anxious about what time it is, making sure every hour lasts exactly sixty minutes-" he looked at his watch anxiously as if to prove his point "-and I've been really fussy about making sure everything is on the right time. Also.. I was really worried about being here too early or too late."

"Kind of normal for me." Barry muttered. Dawn glared at him, then nodded thoughtfully, looking down at what Stella guessed was this Uxie character. 

"I'm guessing the Pokemon that you met was Dialga. I think I'm starting to sense a pattern here. Barry, there was one more trainer scheduled to come, correct?"

Barry nodded without saying anything for once. 

Stella wondered if that was the first time he hadn't made a snarky comment. 

"Are you implying that the third trainer is getting a strange light in the stomach and coming in complaining about space or something, presuming this pattern of yours is true?" Lucas demanded, a hint of humor now in his voice. 

"T-that's one way to put it, you doofus." Dawn tried not to laugh but Stella could see her cracking up. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."  
Mesprit flew over to a shelf and picked up a tiny soccer ball, throwing it to Stella. Stella presumed it wanted to play, so she tossed it back. It squeaked happily, catching it through what looked like telekinesis and throwing it back to her.

"Stella?" Calvin's voice interrupted their game. She glanced at him.

"Want to go to Lake Verity? Together, I mean. Since we're both newbies.. I thought it might be good to get to know eachother better. Alone." he glanced at the three more experienced kids. "I hope you three wouldn't mind that?"

"But what if you get attacked again..?" Lucas started uncertainly, but then Barry gave a yelp of surprise as his bag started shaking. Stella stared in surprise as a third Pokemon, looking similar to Uxie and Mesprit, leaped out of his bag. This one had a blue face, big amber eyes- bigger than Mesprit's- and the shape of its head sort of resembled a star. It flew towards Lucas with a determined expression and crossed its arms.

"Maybe Azelf wants to go with you two. To protect you." Dawn stated, staring thoughtfully at the seemingly energetic pixie-like Pokemon.  
So, that was Azelf. Presumably the last of the lake guardians, unless there was a completely hidden fourth lake that also had a guardian, but Stella doubted it. She looked at Calvin with a smile.

"I'll go!"

She saw Azelf fly in a joyful circle. What was it so excited about? 

"Well, I say you two can go there. I'm sure Azelf will protect you." Barry offered, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Azelf huffed in what seemed like exasperation, and Mesprit giggled.  
Stella stood up and walked towards the door, and looked back towards Calvin mischievously. 

"Well, are you coming? This was your idea after all."

He laughed and followed her. Uxie floated after him, its image rippling for a moment before it completely vanished. Stella felt Mesprit settle on her arm, and she looked at it briefly before it too disappeared. Azelf also turned invisible, but she could hear it and Mesprit letting out cheery giggles on occassion. 

Lake Verity wasn't too far away, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the pretty lake. Mesprit turned visible happily and flew around the lake, watched by a content Uxie. Azelf looked at some berry bushes and picked one to eat. Stella noticed it was a Tamato Berry, but the Pokemon seemed to eat it without any sort of reaction. That was when it fixed its large eyes on a cliff hanging above the lake. Stella saw nothing there of interest, so she was curious as to why Azelf was looking at it so intently. Calvin interrupted her thoughts.

"I never thought I'd meet the legendary Pokemon Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit as soon as I turned 10, and all in one day as well. What a surprise, don't you think?"

Stella nodded. "I'm surprised I didn't freak out more."

Her eyes shifted to Uxie and Mesprit, now playing tag along the lake. Azelf was still focused on the cliff, but Stella was shocked when it suddenly zipped towards the cliff and vanished above the top.

"Azelf!" she shouted, standing up. Calvin grabbed her arm. "No use chasing it. It will come back soon."

He was right. Soon enough, it did come back with a seemingly disappointed expression on its face. For sure, it was hiding something. Stella couldn't put her finger on what though, and it seemed that Calvin could not either judging by his puzzled expression. Uxie and Mesprit flew up to their sibling curiously, and it shook its blue head at them. Mesprit patted the head of the other lake guardian while Uxie chattered about something, though the two humans couldn't understand. Azelf seemed to perk up though, and the other two took off to continue their fast paced game. This time, it followed. Stella closed her eyes, briefly, and immediately saw round red eyes staring at her. She jolted awake. What was that thing? Giratina, Dawn had called that creature.

Watching Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit, she thought long and hard. No conclusion. It was frustrating. Perhaps this third trainer would know something.. or maybe he or she would be as clueless as Stella herself was.

Stella wished she knew what Giratina and Mesprit wanted with her. She wished she had a clue about any of this. 

She wished she knew why all of this was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HHHHH sorry this took so long! I've really been procrastinating on writing this and I've had so many other things that I've had to deal with, hence why the second half of the chapter feels somewhat rushed. But there it is! I hope you enjoyed the read somewhat. I'm really excited to get writing the fourth chapter, I already have a big idea written out in my mind. The third main protagonist is going to be.. quite different from Calvin and Stella, so be ready! :)


	4. The Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here, we are introduced to the third newbie, Esther, who has something mysterious going on in her personal world which deeply affects the real world around her. What is the mystery behind it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry this took so long, as motivated as I was to write this chapter at first, repeated emotional breakdowns, suicidal thoughts, other mental health issues, overwhelming schoolwork, procrastination, and a mini writers block got in the way. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Again, there is a few parts that feel cringy or rushed, but I tried my best given my circumstances.

It wasn't often that Esther had peaceful nights. The dreams were usually quite intense, similarly to her real life. Voices in her head were a pretty common occurence and they influenced her dreams quite a bit. However, it was about a year ago that a new voice seemed to pop up. This one felt much more.. real, and often drowned out the other voices to her relief. Another thing about this voice was that it really helped her. Not only was it much kinder than the other voices, it also seemed to help her locate things, escape dangerous situations, and even just help her when she was feeling down. Not to mention it was fun to converse with.

Esther could tell the dream was influenced by that voice. She was sitting by a clear and still lake that seemed almost bottomless. However, she just knew there was a bottom to the lake. Esther leaped into the lake and swam downwards, searching for that bottom that she wanted to find. That was until she saw a shadow. It was a Pokemon she had never seen before, except maybe once or twice in a book, though she couldn't pin down anything except that. All she knew is that it was huge, with glowing pink stripes and menacing crimson eyes.

"It's you."

The words fell out of Esther's mouth, but she didn't even know what she was talking about. There was no response from the Pokemon other than those large, three feathered wings folding, and suddenly the creature was replaced by a pink orb of light. Esther froze, her eyes widening in fear.  
_'No need for that.'_  
She could barely register what the seemingly familiar voice was saying before there was a blinding flash and a sharp agony pierced her chest, and Esther was forced into the horrific real world once again. She sighed, before attempting to speak to the voice.

_Why did you do that?_

_'Did it scare you?'_ the voice asked challengingly. _'I thought you were braver than that.'_

Esther wanted to claw her brain out at that moment. It drove her insane half of the time. Not even her own head was safe..

Esther suddenly shook off that despair. No need for that, she remembered from that dream. She knew that the voice was referring to her terror of that Pokemon, but it could apply to this situation as well. But she wondered why the voice was so quick to defend that creature. It was absolutely terrifying. Pink wasn't exactly a scary color but seriously, as Esther looked at her Jigglypuff doll, she thought there was nothing more ironic than one of the most terrifying sights of her life being the least intimidating color in the spectrum. 

_'Esther. Wake up and stop thinking about the dream. You're ten years old now, my friend.'_

Esther jumped up at that reminder. Oh, how could she have forgotten? Slipping on her backpack, she didn't even pack her lunch as she put on her running shoes and raced out the door, shoving past emotionless people as she dashed out of Twinleaf Town. 

_I'm going to be late! I'll be late and I won't get my Pokemon! Oh no.._

_'You'll get a Pokemon. You just won't get a choice. Don't worry though. The other two aren't at the lab.'_

Esther halted, touching her head in surprise. She knew this voice had some strange awareness of locations, but knowing the location of random individuals was just downright creepy..

_'Oh, cut that out or I'll find a way to throw you in Lake Verity. I'm sure the spirit won't appreciate a random human in their lake.'_

Esther winced, but quickly relaxed. She was curious about this world, so she slowed and began observing the wildlife. It was intriguing.. most Pokemon seemed much more alive than humans. She hadn't been observing for long before she heard an ear-splitting screech that sent her running. But she wasn't running away, she was running towards the source of the noise. Upon being whipped by several thorny bushes and branches, scraping her entire body, she arrived on the scene. 

An Ursaring was causing the havoc, of course. What a surprise. A group of Shinx were crying out in fear, which compelled Esther to run out of her hiding place and plant herself in front of the Shinx. She glanced behind her to see the group of tiny blue Pokemon staring at her in shock.

"Run." she whispered. They obeyed the command with relief and raced away. The furious Ursaring roared and tried to follow but Esther leaped in his way. Claws scraped her spine and she yelped. Those eyes turned on her and the creature swiped at her, hitting her once again. She could feel the blood on her cheek.

_'Esther. Listen to me.'_

She wanted to freeze, but this damned Ursaring wasn't giving her much of a choice.

_'Head west. Don't stop, no matter what. You'll be okay, I promise.'_

Esther didn't think twice. Looking to make sure the Shinx were gone, she turned and obeyed the voice's command. Her legs pumped as fast as she could, and she could hear the Ursaring crashing through the trees after her. She tripped over a branch and felt a stick stab her elbow. Sharp pain. 

_'Almost there..'_ the voice continued.

Esther stood up. She continued to run, but when she burst into an opening, she stopped dead. There was a cliff.

_Are you trying to kill me?_ she snapped.

_'No, I'm trying to get you help.'_ the voice retorted sharply.

_'By "help" you mean death?_ she cried. This had been a mistake, but it looks like she had no choice anymore. Turning, she faced the furious wild creature. 

He swiped at her, catching her cheek again and ripping an even larger cut. Esther cried out in pain and stumbled back. The ground gave out beneath her, and she screamed in fear, bracing herself for the pain. Suddenly, she saw a flash of blue light, and she was floating, down towards the lake that she now noticed. Perhaps this voice hadn't been trying to kill her after all.

_'Told you!'_ the voice spoke cheerfully. _'He was waiting for you.'_

_Who's "he?"_ Esther demanded.

_'Turn around, buddy.'___

_ __ _

Esther did so, and found herself face-to-face with a small pixie-like Pokemon with large amber eyes, a blue head, and a gray body with two tails. It also had three crystals, one on each tail and the third in the middle of its forehead. She heard a fierce thump, and turned to see that the Ursaring had leaped down and was now approaching her menacingly. Esther braced herself, but the Pokemon who had saved her turned and charged the Ursaring, sending a powerful spout of flames at him. He roared in pain and prepared a Hyper Beam. A green barrier formed around the pixie, protecting it from the attack. One last spout of flames and the Ursaring was crashing away. The Pokemon turned to face her and she smiled.

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"Thank you."

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It grinned, nodded, and began circling around her head happily. Esther heard footsteps and turned around to find two other children around the same age approaching her.

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"A-are you okay?" the boy asked. 

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Esther laughed. "Of course, this is far from the worst thing that's happened. My name's Esther, by the way."

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"My name's Calvin. I'm about to become a new trainer alongside my friend here." the boy introduced himself and gestured to the girl.

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"My name's Stella."

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Esther gave them a surprised stare.  
"Hey, I'm about to become a new trainer too! I was just heading to the lab when I heard that Ursaring antagonizing a group of Shinx. I had to do something!"

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"Well, I think we should go to that lab and get you cleaned up.. we're all newbies anyways!" Stella studied the wounded newbie, before nodding and grabbing Esther's arm. "Yes. We're going to the lab."

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_'Um.. so you led me to the other trainers. I'm scared. I don't know why, but I am._

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_'There's no need to be scared. Take it easy.'_ the voice sounded reassuring, and strangely enough, she found herself relaxing for a moment. 

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She shook her head, and Stella gave her a confused and worried look. Esther winced. "Just ignore me. Let's go."

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She noticed the Pokemon who had saved her giving her an intense stare. Esther wasn't sure she liked the look on its, or his face- as the voice had referred to him as male. He sat on her head after he realised she noticed him, and she chuckled. 

__

The walk wasn't too long, and Esther felt just as energetic as she did before the incident. As they arrived in Sandgem Town, Esther wrinkled her nose as she smelled the salty air. Luckily, the lab wasn't an outdoor one, and it didn't smell too much like sea salt. She raced in.. and immediately crashed into someone. The blond boy who she had crashed into rubbed his head with a groan then glared up at her.

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"Hey, watch where you're- Azelf, what the hell are you doing up there?"

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The Pokemon atop of Esther's head smirked, and the boy gritted his teeth. He flew off of her head and circled around the two of them. She heard more footsteps and looked behind her to see a girl and a boy, both with black hair.

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"Oh Arceus.. looks like Azelf befriended the third newbie. The pattern is correct so far." the girl said with a laugh. Then she walked up to Esther, holding out her hand. "Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. My name's Dawn, and that boy you crashed into? He's Barry, a total doofus." Esther shook her hand with a laugh. "My name's Esther! Nice to meet you. And you?" she turned to the black haired boy, who smiled. "Lucas."

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Esther couldn't help but wonder about this 'pattern' that Dawn referred to. What did she mean? She was about to ask, but something stopped her. An instinct, she guessed.

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_'The other two newbies befriended Azelf's siblings.'_ the voice offered.

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"How are you stalking people?" Esther didn't mean to say that out loud, but she was frustrated. How did this mere voice have so much awareness? It was just a voice.. Esther wished she could do that.

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"What..?" Lucas stared at her in confusion.

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"Oh, nothing. Just ignore me." Esther quickly raised her hands, trying to look innocent. Even if this voice was nicer than the older ones, she was still terrified of it. It seemed far too real to be merely a voice. She touched her head gingerly.

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_Siblings? What are you talking about?_

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_'Hm..'_

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_'Great help. "Hm." Not such a helpful fount of knowledge now, are you?_

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There was a laugh that seemed to shake Esther's skull a bit. She pressed her head harder, taking a deep pained breath. The laughter immediately subsided.

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_'Sorry. You're okay?'_

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_I'm fine. A little warning next time though?_

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_'Fine.'_

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Esther rolled her eyes. That usually meant no. Why was this voice like this?

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Somebody shook her shoulder, and she turned to see Stella.

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"You okay?" she asked quietly. 

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"I'm fine. Just tired and in a little pain." Esther replied guiltily.

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"Oh geez, I forgot about that! Let's get you cleaned up.." Stella said worriedly, then pushed Esther towards a room. 

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Esther entered the room, and sat down in a chair immediately. Stella was using the sink, and she turned back with a cotton ball. The girl gently dabbed it on one of Esther's scratches, and she hissed in pain. 

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"Sorry."

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"That's fine."

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_Okay mystery voice, since you're so knowledgeable about everything, tell me what's so special about Azelf._

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_'Uhm..'_

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_'For fuck's sake._

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_'Fine.'_

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_So?_

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_'Have you ever heard of the lake guardians?'_

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_Well, yes. I know they live in the Sinnoh lakes judging by their title, and they govern emotion, willpower, and knowledge, but I don't know anything else._

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_'Would you believe me if I told you Azelf is a lake guardian?'_

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_Normally I'd call someone who told me there was a lake deity sitting on my head crazy but considering that you have been relatively honest with me so far, I'll believe you for now. Which lake guardian is it?_

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_'Br- I mean, he governs willpower.'_

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_Br..? Brother, or what?_

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_'Did you just accuse me of being a lake guardian?'_

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The tone was now menacing, getting louder in her head. She forced herself not to flinch.

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_No.._

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_'Good.'_

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_What would be wrong with that?_

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No response. Esther growled like the Ursaring she had encountered earlier had. Why was this voice suddenly being such a prick?

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Stella sat back. "Done!"

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Esther beamed at her. "Thanks a lot!"

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Azelf jumped off of Esther's head and began circling around her. Esther laughed and attempted to tap him, but he was too fast for her hand. She suddenly heard a similar cry, and another Pokemon materialized in front of Azelf. He stopped. This Pokemon had pink appendages and eyes that looked half closed. It looked at her with an almost disapproving expression. Stella stared at the Pokemon in confusion.

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"Mesprit, what's wrong?"

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Azelf flew over to Esther with a protective expression and gave a stubborn cry in response to this Mesprit character. Esther was confused. Did it not like her? Why?

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_'I assume she doesn't like how much you hide and contain your emotions.'_

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Mesprit suddenly zipped towards Esther with a surprised expression, tapping her head repeatedly as if to knock.

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_'Oh. I guess she can hear me.'_

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_So you are associated with them!_

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A sigh. _'Yes.. but I'm not the third lake guardian, I promise.' _

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_Then what are you?_

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_'I think you should worry about getting yourself ready before worrying about who or what I am.'_

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_Ready for what?_

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Esther looked at Azelf and Mesprit, both who were giving her intense stares. What was up with them? Azelf's forehead crystal began to glow and he closed his eyes. Moments later, the door burst open and a Pokemon similar-looking to Azelf and Mesprit flew in. Esther's eyes widened as Calvin came rushing in after.

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"Uxiiiiiie!" he protested. 

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The yellow lake guardian joined its siblings, and Mesprit gestured to Esther. It turned to stare at her with eyes that, shockingly enough, were completely shut. Why was that? She would have waved, but the scrutiny was making her feel uncomfortable, and she shuffled her feet awkwardly. 

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_So that's not you. Then what are you?_

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The voice didn't reply, though Esther could sense its presence like it was in the room with her. Calvin waved his hand in front of her face and she snapped out of it, trying to bottle her frustration. Mesprit gave her a steely glare that almost made her flinch. Yes, the voice was probably right, this creature clearly didn't like when people contained their emotions. Of course, it, or she as Esther remembered, was the literal embodiment of emotions. It was only reasonable. She took a deep breath and let her frustration fade, and Mesprit seemed to relax. 

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"I guess Uxie is curious about you as well."

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Esther laughed, and she saw Mesprit nodding almost approvingly. That's when the yellow-headed pixie approached her with a thoughtful expression. She shivered a bit, wondering why they were so curious about her. Well, Azelf and Uxie were anyways. Mesprit probably just didn't like her-  
The emotion deity shook her head at Esther, looking slightly guilty. Esther reached out her hand, and Mesprit approached her slowly, lightly tapping one of the girl's fingers before backing away.

__

Uxie's forehead crystal was beginning to glow white, and Esther tilted her head. Calvin and Stella also seemed confused. Suddenly the door opened again, and Dawn poked her head in.

__

"I think we should all talk."

__

Esther started to stand, but Dawn shook her head and the other two kids poked their heads in behind her. The girl sat back down and the trio entered. Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit flew to join them. 

__

"I feel like we need to discuss some things. Since all three of you are here." Dawn began, rubbing her hands together. Uxie nodded.

__

"So, it appears that each lake guardian has taken a liking to one of you. Mesprit likes Stella, Uxie likes Calvin, and Azelf likes Esther."

__

"I like Azelf too. He saved my ass back there." Esther laughed.

__

Dawn blinked at her in surprise. "He?"

__

Azelf was nodding at Esther, and she tipped her head. "You didn't know? Azelf is male. Mesprit is female. Uxie is.."

__

She looked quizzically at the third lake guardian.

__

_'Male.'_

__

"Male.." she finished, silently thanking the voice.

__

Uxie seemed amused, and the other two were nodding happily at her words. Esther guessed that meant she was correct. Dawn's eyes hardened, and she began to walk towards Esther, who now flinched. 

__

"How do you know all of this? What is going on with you?" she demanded, her blue eyes flickering with suspicion.

__

Esther was beginning to feel nauseous, her vision blurring. She opened her mouth, but a flash interrupted her and when she looked back up, Barry and Azelf had placed themselves between her and Dawn.

__

"Dawn, stop picking on her. You know as well as I do that the lake guardians can use telepathy. Maybe they told her."

__

Azelf was nodding with a desperate expression on his face, and Uxie seemed to tilt his head at the Being of Willpower. Mesprit, to Esther's surprise, flew over to her, patting her head lightly as if to comfort her. She smiled and started petting the lake guardian's back. The emotion deity smiled and pressed against her hand with a purring noise. 

__

Dawn seemed to soften a little as she saw the exchange between the girl and the pink-headed sprite. 

__

"I'm sorry. It's just weird.. and it's hard to trust people. But.. how do you know? Surely the lake guardians would have informed us as well?" 

__

Esther shook her head, feeling distressed. She couldn't talk about how crazy her head was. Her eyes screwed shut tightly as a blazing pain went through her head and she heard unfamiliar voices, as well as a familiar one.

__

_'What the hell is wrong with you? You're putting us all in danger!'_

__

_'Somebody needs to know.'_

__

_'I thought we agreed not to do that to humans anymore.'_

__

_'You two agreed. I didn't.'_

__

_'It's too dangerous to be doing that though.'_

__

_'Do you really think a ten year old child is going to do anything to us? I thought you two were braver than that.'_

__

Esther gritted her teeth as the pain grew more intense, and she found herself plunging through hot and cold, black and white, sun and moon.. she heard voices shouting faintly in her ears, and someone was shaking her. Tears of pain sprang to her eyes and a pink light flashed behind her eyes.

__

_'Esther!'_

__

The world around her seemed to fade and she plummeted into a vast darkness. Black, gooey yet sticky material seemed to be engulfing her as she sank deeper. Esther wanted to fight it, to flail her arms against the strange substance. She wouldn't give in.. she wouldn't. Tears fell from her eyes, mingling with the black substance and seemingly loosening it. Up, up, up. She struggled to reach the surface of a never ending pool of darkness. Light, light, light. West, west, west. Her struggles began to direct towards the west, and after what felt like hours, she saw a faint pink light. 

__

After a few minutes of swimming like she would swim up a river flowing downstream, she burst out of the darkness, collapsing on the ground and just.. breathing. The light abruptly vanished, replaced by a silhouette. Esther swallowed and struggled to her feet, tears still in her eyes. She looked up into the glowing crimson eyes of the silhouette. Pink stripes lit up, and she gasped, backing away as she recognized the figure from the previous dream. 

__

"What are you..?"

__

_"Help us."_

__

"Help? Us..?"

__

A sudden dizziness hit her and she fell on her butt. The scene around them suddenly seemed to change from the dark area to a strange place with large, golden pillars standing tall. Esther got back to her feet and looked around, quickly racing to the edge with an intrigued gasp. She saw so, so much land stretching out before her, clouds below and above her, and even a lake if she looked hard enough. Esther turned around, and realized that the silhouette was still there, though she could make out the creature's coloring now. It still had glowing pink stripes and crimson eyes, but it was mostly white with gray underskin. 

__

Esther opened her mouth, wanting to speak, scream, cry or any other noise she could possibly make, but the sound seemingly refused to come out. The Pokemon blinked kindly at her whilst moving for the first time since she had spotted it, and started to fly towards something behind it. Esther hesitantly followed, and the creature suddenly swooped up, revealing a floating red light. She halted, staring at it. Something seemed to call her to the light. Had the Pokemon now hovering above her head with a faintly curious yet amused expression be tied to it somehow? For it to lead her here like this..

__

Esther's hand seemed to move without her having to do anything. It began to reach towards the red light. Something seemed so familiar about it, like it was calling her. As she finally touched the center, she felt a hard object, which she pulled at. To her surprise, it came loose fairly easily, and she yanked it out, the blazing red light vanishing as she did. It was a red crystal, shaped like a star. The creature flew down and landed in front of her, almost too close for comfort, and tapped the crystal lightly. 

__

Esther backed away, the faint red glow of the crystal pulsating on her hand. What was familiar about this crystal? She held it up to eye level, studying it. It was familiar, but she just couldn't bring herself to pull out the memory. Why was she so forgetful? The Pokemon shook its large head and she saw it beginning to vanish. Esther found herself racing forward, crying out desperately for it to not leave. Nothing sounded more terrifying than being alone and ignorant right now.

__

Too late.

__

Esther found the world around her shaking fiercely, and she grabbed onto a pillar for protection. Then she found her eyes opening, and light pierced her vision, causing her to flinch. Blinking a few times, she took in her surroundings. She was lying in a bed, and Stella had been shaking her awake. The lake guardians were hovering over her, all looking extremely worried. Esther sat up, and felt something shift her hand. She lifted it and gasped in terror. It was the crystal. Stella's eyes widened and she lifted her wrist, revealing a bracelet. 

__

"That looks like.. the crystal on my charm bracelet. Except mine is heart shaped."

__

She showed Esther, who gasped. This was getting more and more terrifying. Then she saw Stella wince, looking guilty.

__

"I'm getting ahead of myself. How are you feeling? You fell unconcious so suddenly, it was really worrying. Perhaps it was stress-induced but.."

__

Esther shook her head, feeling tears coming to her eyes. Azelf sat down on her lap while Mesprit wiped her eyes. Uxie was crossing his arms, shaking his head in confusion as he stared at Esther. The door creaked open and Esther spotted Dawn almost immediately. She looked guilty, and Esther sat up.

__

"I'm sorry."

__

"Don't apologize. I need to talk to you about something."

__

Dawn seemed confused, but she nodded and sat down on the bed. 

__

"What is it?"

__

"I had a really weird dream."

__

And so Esther told her just about everything the dream had told her. She had nothing to hide, except how she felt that the crystal had a familiar feel and look that she had seen before the events of this dream. Esther also mentioned that it was very similar to Stella's charm, the only difference being the shape. Dawn seemed relaxed up until the point that Esther had described the snowy white and pink Pokemon. Her gaze grew almost unbearably intense, and she leaned in close. When Esther finished, she leaned back and shook her head in confusion.

__

"What would the creation deities want with new trainers?"

__

Esther blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

__

"Calvin met the time deity, Dialga. Stella met the antimatter deity, Giratina. And by the sound of it, I think you met the space deity, Palkia."

__

_I met a deity? That's terrifyingly amazing.. the dream felt so real.._

__

'In a way my friend, it was real.'

__

Esther's head jerked up. The voice had not spoken since Esther had fell unconscious, and it had not been directed at her until it was too late. She blinked a couple times, and Uxie finally flew over to Dawn. She nodded as if Uxie had spoken to her, and looked at Esther.

__

"Are you hearing voices in your head?"

__

Esther suddenly shrank back, frightened by the one question she had dreaded being asked all her life. Now everyone would know she was-

__

_'Esther. Calm down. It's okay.'_

__

_It's everything but okay!_ Esther screamed at the voice.

__

"What makes you think that?" she managed out loud.

__

"Uxie told me through telepathy."

__

"Well maybe Uxie's wrong!" Esther snapped, picking up Azelf and standing up abruptly. She felt nauseous as soon as she did so, but still managed to stay on her feet. Stella grabbed her hand but she shook it away. 

__

"Why is it any of your business?"

__

"The one that speaks to you the most. The way you act because of the voices."

__

Esther began to tremble and Azelf slipped from her hands, turning to face her with a worried expression. He raised one tiny, two-fingered hand and Esther pressed her free one to it. She squeezed the crystal, still trembling. 

__

"The one that speaks to me? There are many that speak to me."

__

"So you do have-"

__

"Shut. the. fuck. up!" Esther shouted in her face. Dawn looked morbidly surprised, and Stella seemed to inch away from her. Even Azelf seemed a little taken aback by her sudden outburst, but his hand didn't move from hers. The red crystal was pulsing in her hands, and she swallowed, throwing open the door and running past the three boys. Exiting the building, she looked around briefly and then decided to head western, towards the lake where she had met her new friends. The path was quite clear and easy, and she found herself at Lake Verity in virtually no time at all. 

__

The voice interrupted her softly.

__

_'Oh, Esther.. you don't have to make yourself suffer.'_

__

_Leave me alone. You're clearly capable of doing it._

__

Esther sat down. For years upon end, her parents had drilled it into her to keep her feelings hidden. If she contained them in a small enough space, perhaps she would be able to erase them altogether. Maybe willpower could cancel out emotion. Maybe.. just maybe she could hide it. Everything had gone wrong in one day. She had let her feelings escape. She had let them know how crazy she was. Esther stared at her own reflection. 

__

"What's wrong with me?"

__

**'There's nothing wrong with you.'** a masculine voice interrupted. 

__

Esther's head jerked up and she whirled around. No person there. However, perhaps her only friend since she had left the town, was hovering there, a group of Shinx behind him. 

__

"Azelf.."

__

Azelf was flying closer to her, an unreadable expression on his face. 

__

"What was that voice?"

__

**"It was me.'**the new voice rang in her head.

__

"Azelf?"

__

**"You guessed it!'** the Pokemon grinned. 

__

Esther blinked sadly, confused and shocked at how this Pokemon could talk to her. Then she remembered that Barry had mentioned that the lake guardians could use telepathy, and that Uxie had spoken to Dawn about Esther's voices. She blinked at Azelf.

__

"Why are you talking to me?"

__

Azelf shook his head at her question. **'Because I feel like it, and that's reason enough.'** He flew forward, gesturing to the Shinx to follow, and sat down on her lap. The Shinx gathered around her and curled up. 

__

"You remind me of one of the voices." Esther muttered, her eyes glittering as she patted his head. He snorted in amusement and sat back, looking up at the sky. Esther placed her arms around him.

__

"Your sister's home is beautiful."

__

**'Oh, I know.'** he smirked. **'My home is awesome too, you know.**

__

"What about Uxie's?"

__

**'Cold.. as.. hell.'** he shivered in both mockery of himself and disgust, and Esther laughed. "I hate the cold too, don't worry." she managed. 

__

Esther stood up, looking out on the lake. A strange fog was beginning to cover the lake, and she hugged one of the Shinx close to her chest. She smiled, turning and heading back for Sandgem Town. She thought she saw a faint shadow of a large Pokemon pass by them, but it was too fast for her to know if it was real or just her imagination. She shivered, thinking about the three deities Dawn had brought up to her. If the three newbies had really seen them.. Esther shook her head. Why would they approach them? The Shinx gave her a curious stare. Esther shook her head and reached towards the sky, closing her hand into a determined fist. She would not give up so easily. It was time for her journey to begin. It just wasn't what she expected it to be.

__

She would find friendships with her new Pokemon. She would find out the mystery of that crystal, and why it felt so familiar. She would find out what Palkia wanted to do with her. She would find out why Azelf chose to be her friend. She would find out who and what this voice was. She would find out why everything was happening. And she would make it right. 

__

At that moment, she felt as if nothing could stop her.

__


	5. Growing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calvin meets a new friend and starts to learn more about what happened.

Calvin had been surprised when the girl had ran past them. He almost felt tempted to go after her, but decided against it when Azelf flew out after her. Uxie flew over to Calvin, a strange expression on his face. Stella came out with Mesprit sitting on her head. He joined her quietly, and asked, "What happened to her?" Stella shook her head, looking distressed. Dawn came out after her, a heavy expression on her face.

"We found out something about her that she clearly didn't want us to know."

Calvin gingerly touched the side of his head, trying to think about what could upset Esther so much. He barely knew her, but she already seemed like the type that didn't get upset easily. He looked around the room, before he picked up a mythology book he had been reading before he had gotten into a conversation with Lucas and Barry. 

"Well, there's no point in bugging her about it. That will just make it worse. Give her some space."

He opened his book once again and continued where he left off, being the Creation of Time, Space, and Antimatter.

'The Alpha, despite holding incredibly massive power within it, did not quite hold the power to create and support the entire universe alone. And so, it began to create three life forms. The first to appear was the Being of Space, who began to create the physical form of the universe, however, nothing could truly move until the second was born. The Being of Time, whose very heartbeat began the flow of the unavoidable force that keeps our world moving. However, the universe still remained unstable, hence, a third creature was born, along with a second, more empty world where the creations of the previous two did not stabilize or flow. The Being of Antimatter, meant to protect the universe that would help stabilize the one that all life forms except a select few would live in.'

Stella sat down next to him, curiosity in her brown eyes as she looked at his book.  
"What are you reading?"

Calvin simply smiled and showed her the cover of the book.  
"Just some good old mythology. I thought I would get a refresher since we're into this whole 'meeting deities' and all."

Stella nodded and scooted closer to him.   
"I'm curious about it as well. Mind if I join you?"  
Calvin nodded enthusiastically. He loved it when other people joined him in reading something.  
"Of course!"

Calvin reread the part to Stella out loud, before continuing where he left off.

'The Beings of Time and Space were unable to fully handle their immense power, and so, the Alpha created three creatures within three large pools of a substance known as water, who would have the power to calm and balance either one of the two. These creatures would not only balance Time and Space, but they would create what we call the Spirit, which is made up of three main attributes, hence why there were three creatures created.'

Calvin and Stella looked at eachother, their eyes glowing with excitement.

'The first was the Being of Knowledge, said to give all living creatures the intelligence to solve problems, as well as holding power over the memories of those creatures. The creature is said to surpass the intelligence of any other living being. It's eyes were tightly shut, for if the eyes were to open, an individual would see all that it knows, which would overload and then completely wipe the mind of the individual, leaving them clueless about the universe.'

Stella looked towards the quietly observing Uxie with a newfound respect and fear.  
"I was wondering why he kept his eyes closed. Well, now I know why."  
Calvin smiled. He had already been aware that Uxie kept his eyes closed for that reason but it was almost amusing to watch another person realize something like that. He quickly turned his attention back to the book, and Uxie slowly flew to join them. Calvin held his hand out and Uxie sat on it.

'The next was the Being of Emotion. This creature is said to have given all living creatures the ability to feel happiness, sadness, anger, compassion, empathy, fear, and much, much more. This creature is said to be able to sense the emotions of any living creature, as well as increase the power of them. It experiences more emotion than any living creature, an amount that would completely overwhelm most individuals. Touching the sprite without it's consent or preparation will result in you experiencing the same levels of emotion that it feels, therefore overwhelming your mind and causing you to slowly lose emotions altogether after the sudden increase.'

Calvin drew back warily. An emotionless creature sounded terrifying. Like those zombies that he sometimes read about in fictional stories. Experiencing no emotion but still able to function almost completely normally. Thank the Alpha that Mesprit was on their side. He looked back down and finished with the description of Azelf.

'The final of the three was the Being of Willpower. This creature provided the ability to act and persevere to all living creatures. There is no creature in the universe that holds more willpower than the one who created it in the first place. However, it is no pushover, as when it is harmed, it will place a curse on the individual, or individuals, who harmed it. Unlike the other two, this curse does the exact opposite of overwhelm, as there is no drastic increase in willpower for even a moment. Instead, it is slowly but constantly drained away over the course of seven days. When you reach the seventh day, you will be unable to move or endure. You are not an empty shell, but a frozen rock.'

Calvin shuddered. That curse easily terrified him the most, and he could tell by Stella's expression that she felt the exact same way. He placed the bookmark in and closed it, pushing it aside as they thought about what they had just learned about this incredible but oddly terrifying creatures that seemed to form friendships with the three new trainers. So, he looked down at Uxie, who was giving him a reassuring smile, as if to promise that he and the other lake guardians would not try to harm him or any other innocent creature. 

"So.." Stella spoke in a slightly awkward tone.  
"What do you think about Esther? She seems pretty nice to me."

Calvin thought about the other newbie for a moment. He wasn't completely sure how to feel. She was nice and he did like her, but he felt as if there was something she wasn't admitting to anyone. 

"Do you want the nice answer or the honest answer?"  
"Honest is the way to go in my book."

Calvin sighed and closed his eyes.  
"I like her. She does seem nice, as you say, she's passionate and cares about other living creatures. I can totally see why Azelf chose to be her friend! There's just... I feel like there is something she's hiding. I'm okay with us all having our secrets but I feel like this is something that she shouldn't be hiding, that she needs to open up about."  
He re-opened his eyes, expecting Stella to seem angry or even just disgusted by his answer. However, he was surprised to find that she was nodding.

"She got really defensive and angry when Dawn questioned her. It might be sensitive for her but I just wish she would talk to us. Let us help her the best we can. I really feel bad for her."

'The voice that speaks to her most prominently is not causing her any harm.'

A voice rang in Calvin's head, and he felt surprised, though he tried to prevent it from showing. He glanced towards Uxie. The boy was well aware that the lake guardians could communicate with humans through telepathy- they were extremely powerful psychic Pokemon after all. He just didn't expect Uxie to speak to him so soon. Also, voices? Is that what Esther was so angry about?

'In fact, I would say that voice is helping her more than any single one of us. It saved her life several times.'

Calvin tilted his head, confused as to how that was possible. It was just a voice after all, what could it possibly do to help in a life-threatening situation? Uxie looked directly at him now.

'She'll find out in her own time. I would recommend you do not push her about it too much.' 

The door opened, and Azelf flew in, followed by a bright-looking Esther. Speak of the devil. Stella noticed as well, and she stood up and raced over to her.

"You look better than before you left." There was visible relief in the girl's voice. Esther nodded with a sigh.

"Azelf helped me calm down."

The Pokemon in question shook his head as the attention shifted to him. Esther glanced at him with a grin. "What? You did!"

Calvin beckoned them over and they quickly obliged, sitting on his right side. Quickly, he caught Esther up on what they had read, and he saw her give each lake guardian a wary look as he listed each of their curses. She shook her head.

"Sounds scary. The lake guardians are Pokemon that I guess you shouldn't screw around with or else they'll do some messed up shit to your brain."

Calvin shrugged helplessly, not completely sure how to respond to that. However, he quickly continued the story. Next was an entry on the other trio of deities mentioned in the mythology books. 

'The Being of Time, said to bring the night and then the day. A creature whose very heartbeat keeps this world flowing smoothly. The Being of Space, said to bring everything around you into existence. You would not have any land to stand on had it not been for space. The Being of Antimatter, said to support the Pokemon World from a world on a mysterious place known only as The Other Side.'

"Does it say anything about Beings of Spacetime and Antimatter turning into mysterious glowing orbs and then piercing into your body?" Stella questioned with heavy sarcasm.

"Or appearing in your dream and leading you to some weird ass crystal that feels oddly familiar to you? Because that's what happened in my case. Weird ass magenta innuendo." Esther added, then immediately clapped one hand over her head and doubled over with a gasp of pain. Stella quickly caught her before she could hit the floor and Calvin stood up, panicked. What was going on? Mesprit flew up from Stella's head and hovered in front of Esther with a blank expression. Then the lake guardian's crystals began to glow a blinding white, and a green light washed over Esther. The door was thrown open and Lucas appeared in the doorway with a concerned face.

"Everything okay i- oh." The trainer began to ask a question before he noticed Esther and Mesprit. Azelf and Uxie flew over to her, both holding worried expressions. Mesprit muttered something in their own language, deeply concentrated on Esther, who was beginning to gain her strength back. The girl quickly stood up and Mesprit collapsed on Stella's lap, causing her to gasp in worry. Azelf zipped over to Esther and Uxie quickly patted Mesprit's head before he rejoined Calvin. Calvin touched his own head, wondering if he could initiate a telepathic conversation with Uxie.

'I am listening.'

'Was that Healing Wish?'

'Yes. She merely used Healing Wish to help soothe the pain. Mesprit will be fine in no time at all, do not worry.'

'And Esther?'

'Does she still look pained to you, Calvin? Use that organ in your mind to solve some issues. I gave creatures enough intelligence to do this for a reason, my friend.'

'So, that means yes.' Calvin was not at all fazed by Uxie's harsh words. He was right after all- Calvin should have been able to figure that out by himself. Uxie nodded without speaking to him and turned to watch. Calvin slowly walked towards Esther, placing one hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Esther shrugged his hand off and nodded, her eyes shining once again. "Just a sudden migraine. It happens sometimes, but I'll be okay."

"Good." came Dawn's voice. "We wouldn't want you getting hurt too badly on your first day as an official trainer."

The girl in question entered the room with a knowing expression. Calvin squeezed his hands together, feeling excitement rise within him. That could only mean one thing. He was going to meet his partner today. Esther was shifting from foot to foot, her eyes sparkling. She must have realized it too. 

Stella, on the other hand, looked extremely nervous, shrinking into her chair a little bit as she looked at Dawn. "R-really? Today is the day?" she stammered. The veteran trainer nodded with a smile.

"Professor Rowan gets back from Veilstone City today. He'll be giving you all everything you need. In the meantime, why don't you all come meet the three starter Pokemon?"

Calvin was not sure which starter Pokemon he wanted. It would probably depend on the personality. Esther raced after Dawn excitedly, and Calvin bent over beside Stella. "Are you okay?" 

Stella looked up, surprise visible in her brown eyes. "Oh.. yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry." She stood up and followed Esther, clearly not wanting to say anymore. Calvin knew full well that something was bothering her, but he wouldn't push her. He quickly joined them in the next room, and Dawn went into a cabinet, taking out three Pokeballs. She quickly threw them, and three came out. Calvin quickly recognized all three of them. He wondered which of the three would end up as his partner. He, Stella, and Esther all looked at eachother, quickly nodding before they raced towards the Pokemon.

Two hours passed, and the trio of future trainers had spent all of that time meeting each of the starter Pokemon. Calvin felt a particular attachment to the cautious, perhaps overly cautious, yet self-controlled Turtwig that seemed to return the attachment. The Chimchar had a blazing spirit that seemed unbreakable, however, it's pride seemed to blind it a bit. The Piplup was cheerful, however, it was also the most timid of the three. 

He patted the Turtwig's back as Esther and Chimchar had a miniature pride contest, and Stella attempted to approach Piplup. Calvin looked up as the door creaked open, and Lucas poked his head in, before entering.

"How is it going?" He held one hand out to Piplup, who slowly began to approach. 

Esther sat up with Chimchar in her lap, beaming.   
"Great!"  
Stella looked at Lucas and Piplup, before sighing. Calvin studied his new friend intently. She was very expressive, the opposite of his other new friend, who seemed to have a constantly spirited and cheerful facade. It was now easy to tell that this sort of rejection was exactly what Stella was afraid of. Calvin found himself longing to know more about why she was so afraid of loneliness. He himself was incredibly solitary. 

He was beginning to find himself drowning in his own thoughts when he felt a sudden tugging sensation, and found himself getting to his feet despite not particularly wanting to. Then he started to walk towards the door. Calvin wasn't sure what he was doing. He felt six burning stares on his back.

"Calvin?" It was Esther's voice who spoke up first. "Where are you going?"

The young boy sighed. "Just for a walk. I need to clear my head." He thought he saw a flicker of empathy in her eyes before he turned and walked out the door. Then, he headed outside excitedly, following the tugging sensation. Racing through the forest until he burst into a small clearing, which he presumed was not far from the lake. Suddenly, a blue light emerged from the air in front of him, and danced around him in an almost playful manner. Calvin held out his hand carefully, and the blue light bumped into him. He yelped at the sudden cold that pierced him, and he fell back, hitting his head. He tried to fight against the fuzzy darkness that overwhelmed him. 

Then, he was in another place. It seemed like the place that had been described to him two days ago. Sandy gold pillars, large symbols at the center of the plateau, and two plates on either side. Calvin looked around before the air in front of him rippled, and there was suddenly a Pokemon there. One he recognized and was curious about, and recently learned the name of.

Dialga.

He closed his eyes, quickly regaining control over his emotions, before he brushed himself off and looked back up to meet the small and terrifyingly emotionless eyes of the temporal deity. However, apart from the lack of emotion that the creature showed, Calvin was strangely not afraid. Which even he himself was confused about. However, he got straight to the point, taking a deep breath and asking what he needed to ask.

"Why do you keep appearing to me? Is there something you want to tell me?"

It nodded slightly. Calvin crossed his arms. Well, that was a surprise. He silently thanked it for not being all cryptic and mysterious. One of his biggest pet peeves was unnecessary vagueness. He just wanted to get straight to the point. As if the deity read his mind, the air around him started warping and he found himself surrounded by people. He felt as if he was standing there for hours, seeing all the horrific and wonderful things that happened in this one place. 

Then, it came. A blue-haired man. Two glowing crimson chains. The two time and space deities being summoned and controlled. Their powers were exploited for.. Calvin couldn't find an answer to that question. He wasn't usually this confused, but even he couldn't comprehend what this man was attempting to do, but it was obviously unreasonable. Calvin saw the three lights circling above, glowing yellow, pink, and blue. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, the three lake guardians and protectors of Sinnoh. The three trainers that had helped them so much. The shadowy third deity. The brutal battle. The freedom of both the dragons. The injuries of the lake guardians. The brutally fierce glow of the red chain, and the adjustment of the world to mostly the man's liking. The teleportation. The event vanished and Calvin heard one last thing before the vision switched.

"It was complete, yet it is still imperfect."

Screaming, slashing, and red flashed across Calvin's vision as he saw the darkest moments in time here. He wanted to look away, but his eyes refused to move or close. Calvin slowly began to descend towards the ground. He wouldn't give into this. Not yet. It was unbearable to see, how fighting would commence and enrage the creatures who appeared here. How time and space would warp when they were taken advantage of. The brutal fury of deities.. he slowly backed away, but then the vision completely vanished, and he was back into the peaceful and isolated world. 

It was then that he heard a small noise, and he turned only for a blinding blue light to flash in his face. Then he was awake, an intense pain washing over him. He had been moved against a tree, then he felt something dabbing at him. Calvin looked around to see Uxie with an anxious expression.

'Are you alright, Calvin?' the voice rang in his head.

"I'm fine now, don't worry." Calvin said this out loud through gritted teeth.

'There is one thing.' Uxie held out his hand, and when Calvin saw the crystal that he held, he jerked up, startled. He slowly took the strangely shaped crystal, feeling a warm vibration in his hand. What was it? He closed his hand around it and slipped it into his hoodie pocket. His eyes drifted up to Uxie questioningly.

'It is not often that I admit this, but I am just as confused as you are. Who knows the ways of my siblings?' Uxie lifted his arms in a helpless shrug. Calvin snorted quietly, before remembering all the horrors he had seen. He covered his head and leaned harder against the tree. Uxie sat on his lap, not speaking for a while. It was peaceful. 

Then he heard the cries of Azelf and Mesprit, and the two other lake guardians burst into their little peaceful moment, followed by the humans that they had respectively taken likings to. Stella waved, showing no sign of her sadness earlier. 

"Calvin! Professor Rowan is back in his lab. We should go!" 

Calvin found himself unable to feel excited. He slowly followed behind. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf were playfully flying around Stella. Calvin stared down at his hand. Esther dropped back to join him, a slightly worried expression. "Everything okay, Calv?" she asked.

Calvin shrugged. He didn't want to lie but he wasn't about to admit how bothered he was. 

"Just a bad dream, I guess."

She narrowed her eyes. Calvin had a bad feeling that she had a pretty big clue what was going on. "I see. Why don't you tell me about it?"

Calvin shook his head. "I'd rather not."

Esther punched his shoulder, and he yelped. "Let me rephrase that, you stubborn acorn. Tell me about your dream."

Yup, she definitely knew something was going on. So, Calvin spilled the things he had seen in his dream to her. She thoughtfully nodded, taking in what he said. However, what she said surprised him a little more. 

"I had something similar.. though it was.."

She shivered for a moment, before continuing on.

"It wasn't Dialga who appeared to me. It was Palkia. It had appeared in my previous dream as well. I kind of.. got taken to some weird place that looked like the one you described. It lead me to a star-shaped red crystal, before it vanished."

Esther shook her head, looking guilty. Calvin curiously tipped his head in her direction as she continued. "I felt so alone. As if someone I knew all of my life just.. walked away."

He had a feeling that she wasn't telling the full story. Perhaps she herself didn't even know the full story. However, he wanted to press her about something.

"Do you think Palkia might have anything to do with this voice you've been hearing?"

Esther stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes hardening as he brought up the voice. She shifted those stone cold eyes onto Calvin. "We are not talking about that." Her tone was firm and did not invite arguements, but Calvin simply returned the glare, refusing to care. 

"You pressured me, so I get to pressure you. Now, answer my question." he spoke in a matching tone, not showing any trace of fear. Esther almost seemed surprised, but she regained her composure quite easily. 

"In all honesty? Yes. Either the voice knows something about Palkia or Palkia knows something about the voice. But the voice won't answer my questions, and it's not like I have any way to find Palkia and ask. Not like it would take even one moment to listen." She placed one hand on her head, sadness now faintly visible in them. Calvin almost felt sorry for her. He placed one hand on her shoulder, and this time, she didn't shrug it off, just let his hand rest there for a moment. Then she picked up the pace to catch up with Stella. The lab was now in sight.

Calvin took a few deep breaths. He already knew which Pokemon he wanted, but he was nervous regardless. Stella opened the door and entered, followed by Esther and then Calvin. He studied the professor that now worked at a table. The man was old, but clearly had a good composure. The lake guardians drew back to their respective humans. Calvin patted Uxie's head as the three trainers looked at eachother. Then Esther nodded, and started to move forward. 

Professor Rowan turned around and looked at the three trainers that now stood in front of him intensely.

"So, I've already met Stella and Esther. You must be Calvin." His voice was matter-of-fact, which Calvin found himself liking a lot.

"Yes. You're the professor?"

Rowan didn't answer his question, simply picking up three Pokeballs that sat in front of him. Then he threw them, and the three starter Pokemon came out. Calvin stared into the eyes of the one he had already decided he wanted. The understanding was there.

"I have allowed the other trainers to give you three the opportunity to meet each starter Pokemon ahead of time, so you can get to know what each is like and see which one may fit with you best. So, do you all have your choices?"

Calvin lifted one hand immediately. He could see that Stella and Esther were both hesitant, so he would go first. The three gazes turned to him. Calvin did not say anything, but he approached Turtwig almost immediately, and picked up the surprisingly heavy creature. Turtwig looked happy at Calvin's choice, which made him feel relieved. Then he looked to the professor. "Turtwig is my choice."

The professor studied the two for a moment, before nodding and handing Calvin a Pokeball and another strange-looking device. He recognized it as a Pokedex. 

"This is Turtwig's Pokeball. Take good care of your new partner." He gestured to the Pokeball before looking at the device. "This is a Pokedex, which you can use to record data on all Pokemon you come across. You will gain significantly more data if you catch the Pokemon. Would you like to nickname Turtwig?"

Calvin looked at Turtwig with a smile, before he crouched down and placed Turtwig on the ground.

"How does Growth sound to you, little buddy?" The Turtwig reacted eagerly, lifting one paw and placing it on Calvin's right knee. He chuckled. "Growth it is then. Growth, I think we'll do great together. Let's try our best!" He lifted the Pokeball and returned Turtwig to it. Then he looked at Stella and Esther, who were quietly talking. Then Esther lifted her head. "We'd like some time to think and discuss together. If that's okay."

Narrowed eyes. Then a nod. "Take all the time you need. I am well aware that this is a difficult choice that will heavily impact your life."

Stella looked relieved, and Esther smiled. Chimchar spun in circles while Piplup studied both trainers with curious, bright, yet oddly frightened eyes. The two girls entered another room while Calvin went to exit the lab. 

"Calvin!" It was Rowan's voice. The new trainer turned.

There was a serious expression on the professor's face.

"It is natural for a new trainer to wish for adventure. However, it is of utmost importance that you do not go too deep. It is far too dangerous down in the deep." The words seemed so ominous. What was he talking about? Calvin quietly nodded before exiting the lab and heading to Lake Verity. 

He wasn't sure what the professor meant. What was considered too deep? Was it going too far into unknown grounds while exploring? Was it seeking too much knowledge? Was it making challenges that he could never win? 

Too much. There was too much to take in at the moment. He let Growth out of his Pokeball and let it roam around the lake while he thought about it. What was all of this about?

A presence seemed to wash over him, and even Uxie seemed startled. Calvin looked around and a blue light emerged from the trees, circling around Calvin, Growth, and Uxie. He reached out to touch it, before remembering what happened last time. Then an image began to form on the surface of the lake.

"It's too dangerous to go up there!"

"We have to do it. We need to know about those dreams and visions."

"The crystals have been vibrating. What if they're trying to warn us?"

"The creation deities will know. Please."

"Fine. But we have to be careful!" 

Incomprehensible screaming. Raging wind and snow. The screaming of names he could not recognize. Fierce sobbing and intense breathing. A roar. And then, the image vanished. Calvin fell back, shaking horribly. What was going on? 

The light hovered across from him. Then it blinked away and he held out one hand briefly, before drawing it back and resting his head on his knees. He was more disturbed than ever. That light.. it was trying to tell him something. It must have had something to do with the time deity. Calvin stared into the water, hearing a single word ringing in his head.

"Help."

"Help me! What are you trying to tell me?" Calvin finally shouted back. No response, but Uxie flew over to him with a sympathetic expression. He wanted to know- he wanted to help- but he had no idea how he could if he knew so little. Calvin just wanted- no, needed, to know more. 

He had never felt so ignorant in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty short but there wasn't much to say. Sorry, Stella's chapter will hopefully be longer.


	6. One Last Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella learns more about her history with Mesprit, and remembers two significant moments with her grandfather. She also gains a newfound respect for Esther.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! A chapter that didn't take two years to get out! I've been more productive in this one month than I have in the 16 years I have lived. Anyways, enjoy Stella crying her eyes out for basically the entire chapter :)

The one thing that Stella could never stand nowadays was loneliness. She was used to it due to her childhood, but it still hurt her deeply. Stella was glad that Calvin had found his partner, but she didn't know what she herself wanted. Esther had asked her if she wanted to decide between the two and then she would take the last one. She felt so guilty for making her wait.

Isolation was something that she was far too accustomed to. The worst was after her grandfather passed away due to a deadly sickness. Her family had pushed her away, her friends had wanted to give her space, and so, she had shut herself out. Only having herself. That's when she started having dreams of a mysterious place that she had only recently learned the name of. The Distortion World. 

Over and over again, she had tried to be around others. Every time, she ended up back in her room. Her father left her with her mother, and her mother grew from pushy to borderline abusive. She could handle physical pain, but she could not bear that emotional pain. The anger, hatred, misery, and despair. It still affected her, even if her mother could no longer bear the emotions that drove her to treat Stella the way she had. 

Stella couldn't help but wonder if Mesprit was aware of what happened. She must have known what Stella was hiding.. but why did she not react the way she had to Esther? Surely what Stella did was just as bad, if not worse. Her thoughts stopped when the Pokemon she had just been thinking about shook her shoulder. She lifted her head to see Mesprit smiling at her, a playful twinkle in her amber eyes. Stella could see her face in the reflections and forced herself not to cringe away in disgust.

Mesprit's playfulness faded as she settled herself on Stella's lap, purring as she made herself comfortable. Stella smiled a little bit and patted the sprite's pink head. She looked around a little bit, and saw something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like it was glowing red and gold, but it quickly vanished. Stella narrowed her eyes, trying to see if there was anything else, but no trace. 

She looked inquisitively at Mesprit, but the creature didn't seem to notice the mirage. Stella shrugged helplessly and basked briefly in the sunlight. Then she closed her eyes, and briefly saw a pair of glowing red eyes glaring into her soul. Her eyes flew open once again, and she fought back tears of frustration, exhaustion, and misery. She had not slept since she had gotten to the lab, and it was beginning to take a toll on her functionality. Mesprit was now giving her a concerned stare, but Stella shook her head.

'Stella, you should go to bed!'

Stella looked around in shock as an unfamiliar, feminine voice spoke to her. Was she about to turn into a vessel of some mysterious voice like Esther? Maybe the exhaustion was affecting her more than she thought. Then a small hand rested on her chest.

'Stella, don't worry! It's just me, Mesprit! It's just telepathy. You don't need to be scared.'

Stella stared at the little emotion Pokemon, fear and confusion warring inside her. Forcing back the rage, she slowly pushed away Mesprit and looked around the room, mainly a door. 

'That probably wasn't the best way to introduce my telepathy. I'm sorry Stella.'

Mesprit looked down at the ground, looking genuinely guilty. Stella couldn't stand that expression. It reminded her so much of her grandfather's expression when she had held his hand for the last time. She closed her eyes and slowly wrapped her hand back around Mesprit's smaller one, pushing back tears as she thought of her grandfather. Mesprit did not say or do anything, just clasping one of Stella's hands in her own with a sympathetic expression in her large amber eyes. 

That's when the mirage appeared again. It was a red and golden light, and this time Mesprit turned around as well. Stella stared at it, her eyes wide. Then the light turned and a window flew open. It flew out and Mesprit suddenly slipped from Stella's grasp in order to pursue the light. The Emotion Pokemon turned to look at Stella, waving her hands excitedly.

'Come on Stella! It'll be fun!'

Stella was going to go, but not because she thought of it as a fun adventure. She felt like whatever was causing that light to appear, whatever was in that light.. it was calling her somewhere. To something. She began to approach the window, and began to slip out, letting her bare feet touch the grass before she looked around. Suddenly the light shot from some tall grass and began to circle around. Stella raised one hand and cooed at it in a melodic tone. She tapped it lightly and was surprised by the warmth that emitted from it. The light danced away from her, vanishing into the tall grass. Stella took a deep breath, then plunged into the grass in pursuit. 

The grass was soft, dewy, and it smelled amazing. Stella felt at ease within it. She was unsure of why, but she faintly remembered the stories that her grandfather had told her about.. how humans used to be so much more in tune with nature and it's beauty.. how they'd use the gifts of nature for good and not for their own selfish gain. She settled down in the grass, feeling the breeze in her face. Mesprit sat down beside her, humming softly as she looked to the northeast. Stella closed her eyes and before she knew it, she was in another flashback.

\---

It was a peaceful night, the cool breeze faintly stirring the flowers. Her grandfather was beside her, a content smile on his face as he adjusted his glasses and gazed towards the clouds. Stella saw the Butterfree crossing the skies, casting a faint shadow over the full moon. It brought a goofy grin to her face. Years from now, Stella would have cringed at the sight of her goofy and overly optimistic old self. She opened her mouth and gaped at the beautiful powder being shed from the wings of the heavenly Butterfree. Her grandfather chuckled and caught them.

"It seems that nature has blessed us tonight."

"What do you mean, grandpa?"

"The Butterfree are a creation from the most beautiful part of nature's power. Here that power is, shedding it's blessing upon us."

Stella tilted her head, relatively confused at what her grandfather had said. Nature's.. power? Like, the same power that a Pokemon had? Was there a Pokemon that controlled nature itself? Stella looked out at the lake that glowed faintly in front of the two of them, staring intently into the depths.

"Isn't there a spirit living in this lake? Is that spirit a blessing from nature?"

Her grandfather let out a barking laugh, amused at her question.

"That spirit.. it is a blessing from something far greater than nature.. something far greater than even the fabrics of reality itself. It is the incarnation of all the emotions we feel. Sadness, joy, anger, compassion."

"Emotions? So.. the spirit is one of the greatest blessings of all. It gives us the ability to feel.. to know the ups and downs of life? Amazing!"

Suddenly, a breeze swept over the surface of the lake, and Stella saw a faint whirlpool at the center. Her grandfather did not seem fazed, and he did not react at all. However, Stella raced to the edge of the lake and gaped at the sight. It was a light, and a faint shadow was visible within it. The shadow floated closer to her, letting out a strangely melodic cooing noise before fading. Stella was about to call after, however, her grandfather grabbed her and steered her to face him. She steeled herself against his intense gaze.

"Listen here, young Stella. Things will not always be this beautiful. One day, destruction will come, and you must be prepared for the worst. Reality is beautiful, but it is also wrathful. It will not hesitate to strike down whatever stands in it's way."

Stella closed her eyes, then opened them with a brave expression. She nodded fiercely, and her grandfather gave that familiar smile that she loved so much more than his serious expression. 

\---

Well, that was an experience. Stella kept her eyes closed.. which she was soon to regret. The next flashback.. 

\---

Stella was standing in the doctor's office with her mother, who was shaking horribly. She wasn't stupid no matter how much her parents thought she was. She knew that something was wrong with grandfather.. and she wanted the doctors to fix it. However, there was no good news. Each and every day.. he got worse. 

The whitecoat emerged from a room, and Stella perked up hopefully.. until she saw his expression. He slowly approached them, and then spoke once he was close.

"He would like to see you. One at a time."

Stella's mother quickly left her side, and entered the room without uttering a word. Stella shifted from foot to foot, wanting to see how her grandfather was doing. It felt like hours before her mother came out. When she did, there was tears in her eyes, and she glared at Stella with an emotion that the young girl could not quite recognize. Stella ignored it and raced into the room, rushing to her grandfather's side.

"..Stella."

He sounded so weak.. so raspy.. Stella felt her heart beginning to split. She clasped his right hand in hers, leaning against his bed. Grandfather looked at her with a guilty expression, squeezing her hand tightly. Stella had no idea what to say. However, he beat her to it.

"Reality is cruel, Stella. It looks like it wants to stomp me down now."

Stella shook her head, denying it. Reality wouldn't do that. It wouldn't. Surely nothing could be that cruel? Surely the world wasn't that bad? She opened her mouth, but he interrupted her.

"I'm sorry Stella. I could never teach you all that you will need to know. I could never spend enough time with you."

Stella felt tears coming to her eyes, but she forced them back. However, he met her eyes and placed his left hand on her chest.

"Do not push away the gift you have been given. That is why the spirit of Lake Verity appeared, yes? It saw your passion for and understanding of emotions despite being such a young age- and it deemed you worthy. Let your emotions run free, Stella. That is how to truly live.

Stella began to cry, letting her tears fall on his arm. He smiled, letting out a soft breath as she let her emotions go. However, he slipped something off of his wrist and slipped it onto her own. Then he met her eyes calmly.

"This belongs to you now. Please.. never give it up. Ever. It will be so important."

Stella placed her free hand on the bracelet, feeling a warm pulse from the red, heart-shaped charm on the center. That is when she felt something strike her. The Spirit of Lake Verity. It was a Pokemon. It was a Pokemon with a name. It was Mesprit, the Being of Emotion. Grandfather smiled as the realization hit her.

"Indeed. Mesprit appeared in front of you at such a young age. I myself could not see the spirit, but I could feel the presence and I could see your expression. You were as awe-inspired as I was when I first learned of the legends of the Spirits."

He coughed, a puff of smoke coming from his mouth. Stella gasped, but he shook his head, squeezing her hand more tightly. 

"I have one last wish. I just hope you can grant it, Stella."

\---

Stella jerked up from the second flashback, horrified at having to relive her grandfather's death. Mesprit turned to look at her, recognizing what she had been through almost immediately. She took in her surroundings, and realized she was no longer in the grass. She was in a room. Stella looked around, and was surprised to see that Esther was with her. Her friend had her hard green eyes focused on her. Stella flinched, tears coming to her eyes and she realized Chimchar was also with her. She pet the fire creature's short fur and closed her eyes.. yet tears still leaked out. Mesprit gave a soft purr and wrapped her tails around Stella's waist.

Esther slowly stood up, and approached Stella, showing no sign of any emotion until she reached the bed. Stella slowly inched away from her.. but felt the girl clasp her hand.

"What happened to you?" There was worry now pooling in her eyes.

Stella shook her head, warm tears streaming down her face. She could taste the salty tang of the liquid seemingly made of emotion. It caused her to flinch and she started crying even harder. 

"I.. went into the tall grass with.."

Stella looked at the spirit.

"Mesprit."

Esther tipped her head, and Stella thought she saw a faint pinkish light hovering above her friend's shoulder for a split second, but if she did, it vanished quickly.

"..I fell asleep there. There was memories of interactions between me and my grandfather. I-including his.."

Stella shook the tears away, but Esther crouched down until they were at eye level. Stella felt a tiny bit better just staring into her friend's non judgemental gaze. 

"Death."

She was shocked at how strongly that last word came out, but her shoulders began to shake and she curled herself into a ball, not wanting to see anyone anymore. Stella heard a sigh, then Esther spoke up.

"Stella."

She felt a hand on one of her knees, and she dragged her eyes up to meet Esther's. 

"Do you know anything about how emotion and willpower connect to eachother?"

Stella gave Esther a surprised look. It was obvious to anyone who knew anything about even the most basic levels of psychology. 

"Emotion is a driving force that can both push forward willpower but also pull it back."

Esther nodded thoughtfully.

"Why do you think runners step back right before they're about to run in a race?"

"Hm?"

"I'll take that as 'I don't know.'"

The girl sat down on the bed, and rested a hand on Stella's shoulder.

"They take that step back to gather themselves together. To have more momentum when they finally start running. To push themselves up and onwards."

She looked at Stella seriously.

"Are you starting to understand how this relates?"

"..Yes. Even though I've taken that step back now.."

"..when you finally start to run, you'll be stronger and faster than you could have ever been without that step back. Stella, it's okay to take that step back, it can and will help you in the long run. Let your emotions go free."

Mesprit was nodding approvingly at what Esther was saying, and she beamed. Stella wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.

"Esther?"

"Hm?"

"Do you.. mind if I.."

"You want to take Chimchar?"

Stella couldn't look at Esther anymore. She knew how much Esther liked the little fire type, but.. she just couldn't deal with the pains that the Piplup would bring her. Esther seemed hesitant.. but she soon bent towards Chimchar.

"Do you want to go with Stella, little champ?"

Chimchar looked between her and Stella, then shrugged. Esther patted it's head, before drawing back. 

"You should go with her. She needs you and I'm sure you'll grow to need her as well."

Chimchar tilted it's head, before curling up on Stella's lap. Esther smiled, before she finally touched her temple, her happy expression fading.

"Damnit!" Stella jumped as Esther shouted.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Then the door was thrown open. Stella shouted after her, but there was no response, just the door creaking back and forth from the sheer force Esther had thrown it open with. Stella wanted to go after her, but she didn't have the energy to go on a run. 

'Esther is the one who found you, you know. Well, more specifically, that weirdo voice that Esther has some sort of love-hate relationship with.'

Stella glanced towards Mesprit with a confused expression. That weirdo voice? 

"Oh, the one that Esther basically had fundamental mastery over the layout of the entire universe because of? I seriously hope that thing isn't pissing her off. I'm going to go after her in a few minutes."

Stella stood up from the bed, wiping her eyes and putting her shoes on, tying them up before standing up. She held out her arm from Chimchar and the Pokemon jumped on her shoulder with an excited cry.

"Chimchar, up for a little first-time adventure to find my friend?"

Then they dashed off, Mesprit following close behind. Stella jumped up excitedly and Chimchar leaped off her shoulder. She quickly caught it in her arms and there was laughter. Now, it was time to find Esther- and Calvin, at that. They were connected now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't until I was proofreading that I realised Calvin wasn't in this chapter at all. Ah well, I still haven't decided what I want to do with him. Welp, next round is good old Esther and the voices in her head! Also, sorry for no edgy centipede mentions in this chapter. Giratina will be more involved in the next Stella chapter.


	7. Just Say Yes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH SHIT IT'S BEEN SO LONG. Thanks for waiting for the next update, I've been through a writers block and this chapter has helped me get some of my motivation to write back. This isn't the best chapter I've written, but it is my longest and I'll be aiming to get Calvin's third chapter out faster than I got this one out in relation to Stella's chapter.

Esther was at a terribly fast pace as she stormed out for the second time. The voices were screaming in her head, dragging her down, trapping her in a void. She held one hand on her head, not knowing nor caring where she was going. All she knew is that she needed to get somewhere quiet and isolated. Where nobody could find her. What had upset the voices this badly? They were never like this- despite all the hateful comments towards her. 

Esther was more than aware that she had worried Stella and Chimchar a lot. They would probably come look for her. She would be doomed if the two brought Mesprit, Uxie, or Azelf with them. Throwing aside a branch, she plunged into the forest, finding herself unable to care for the thorns that tore into her skin. Eventually, she tripped and fell to the ground, panting. She looked around, and apart from a startled Wurmple, there was no living creatures. 

She didn't have the motivation to stand back up, so she merely slumped against a tree and tried to recollect herself despite the screaming and malicious laughter given by the voices. What was it like to not have voices? It was easy enough to pick up the fact that it was not normal to have them. This only made her feel worse about it. Gritting her teeth, she attempted to close out the voices and calm down. Esther looked around her, praying that they wouldn't find her. 

'You care too much about people who couldn't give two shits about you.'

'They're going to ditch you in the end. Because they'll recognize how you truly are.'

Esther squeezed her eyes shut. She had just wanted to help Stella feel better since she was in a far worse situation. This was just that step back, she wanted to tell herself. She knew that the step back could be all Esther needed to trip and collapse for good. It wasn't allowed. It wasn't safe. She curled one hand into a fist, not knowing what she was going to strike. 

Then something seemed to warm her hand up.

Esther's eyes snapped open, and she glared to her right, only to find there was nothing recognizable there. There was, however, a strange-looking sphere of light pressed against her clenched fist, presumably the source of that warmth. It had a pinkish color to it. Esther was beginning to hate the color pink.

The light didn't really have any form of skin, scales, fur, feathers, or anything else contained within it. The only reason that she couldn't force her hand all the way through it was the mysterious repelling force at the very center that pressed into her hand and slowly coaxed her into uncurling it. Esther felt the voices dying away, and she slowly tipped her head towards the light, feeling a light curiosity amongst her raging emotions. 

_'..Esther?'_

A voice that she recognized well enough at this point rang in her head, drawing her attention briefly from the light. She wasn't sure how to feel about this one coming back. Was it as upset as the other voices? It hadn't been amongst the ones that had just overwhelmed her. However, there was still the miniature bursts of energy that it had at times- which ended up physically harming her more than all of the other voices combined. She prayed that it would not join in. 

_'Wow, I'm offended. Why am I the one you're worrying about right now?'_

Esther shook her head angrily, wanting to claw her brains out so she'd never have to hear any of them again. Her nails dug into her skin a little bit as she hugged herself. She didn't reply to the neutral-sounding voice, though she could already believe it was going to press further.

"Leave me alone." she muttered out loud.

_'I can't and won't do that.'_

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and wrinkled her nose, wishing she could do anything, just anything, to get them all, even this neutral one, to shut up for one day. That's all she needed. That's all she asked for. Just one day. A tear slipped from her eye, and she wanted to smack herself. She swallowed, squeezing her eyes even tighter to try and shut her outburst in, hiding her face and taking shallow breaths. 

_'Esther. You poor girl.'_

Esther tried to push the strange voice away. It sounded foreign, yet oddly familiar in a way. Oh well, it was still a voice and she wanted it to shut up. However, a cold breeze suddenly hit her, and she opened her eye a slit. Then she immediately shut it again, forcing herself not to shudder.

_'Open your eyes, Esther. You can't come here yet. You aren't ready.. you need your friend.'_

To her shock, something that was very much a physical entity pushed her gently, and she found herself falling, falling..

_'Great Arceus, you are a mess.'_

There was a flash of white, then something cold and wet bashed against her head. Esther's eyes flew open, and she saw the face of a Pokemon staring at her. She didn't move, blinking as she recognized the Piplup from the lab. Esther blinked, allowing herself to come to full consciousness once again.

"Hey! What was that for?" she stared at Piplup. Piplup merely shrugged.

Esther shook her head, scattering water droplets, and then glared at the Penguin Pokemon standing in front of her. It was not showing any signs of the shy attitude that it had shown to all three trainers earlier. It was in a full-on sass mood. If Stella had taken Chimchar and Calvin had taken Turtwig.. did everyone expect her to take Piplup? 

_'Won't that be awesome, though?'_

The neutral voice rang in her head, and Esther touched her forehead again. 

'First of all, no. Second of all, do you think I overreacted again? Third of all, should I come up with names for all of you guys?'

_'Yes to all of those.'_

'Why do you think it would be awesome for me to take Piplup?'

There was a moment of hesitation, before it replied with a dry tone.

_'Well, are you going to fight- what are they called again.. gym leaders, yes? - with your bare fists?'_

'Why do you think I'm overreacting?'

_'Oh, that's easy. Running away while yelling like a lunatic because some voices only you can hear insulted you is not only a massive overreaction, but totally embarassing, sorry to say it. They want a reaction out of you. They're like the typical.. school.. bullies, except for you don't get a break from them. You have to figure out how to stand up for yourself. Give them all names so you can insult them each individually.'_

Esther could not suppress a laugh at that last piece of advice, however, she fell deep into thought as she began to come up with names.

'Alright. I have a few names. Sirni and Ero for the siblings, Sirni female and Ero male. Airlith for the second nicest one.. next to you, I guess. Pyre for the one that leads the angry parades that give me headaches so often. As for you.. do you have a preference?'

_'Well, I don't care what you call me. Just don't call me something stupid like 'Shitstain.' Also, Prism and Ion sound cool.'_

'Prism for the one that always talks about murder and Ion for the one that sounds older than the sun?'

_'Yes!'_

'As for you.. I think I'll go with Nova.'

There was no reply, and Esther wondered if that was okay with it. Then she realized that Piplup was approaching her with a curious expression. Cautiously, the newbie held out her hand. Piplup stared at her hand for a moment, before lightly pecking it, not hard enough to hurt, but Esther still felt the uncomfortable prick in her skin. 

'It hates you.'

Pyre's voice whispered at the back of her mind, but she simply pushed it away, relieved as the voice did not resurface. Piplup's curiosity was beginning to mingle with confusion, and Esther sighed. 

"Esther!"

This voice was very much real, and she looked up to see Stella thrusting her way through the undergrowth, Mesprit and Azelf hovering above her, and Chimchar squeezing past her and cheering her on. Stella broke free of the bushes and tripped. Esther had to suppress a laugh as the trainer struggled to regain her balance, but Stella gave her an indignant glare, before her expression gave way to concern. 

"Are you okay? That was really sudden.. how you just ran off like that."

Embarassment washed over Esther as she realized how stupid she must have looked. She shuffled her feet before standing up and mumbling. 

"Just an overreaction. I don't like getting overwhelmed by voices in front of others."

She glanced at Mesprit, who had helped her using Healing Wish when Nova had had a strange outburst. This outburst had brought a theory to the back of Esther's mind, but Esther had never decided to acknowledge it, and she did not want to think it was the truth anyways. 

'You'd better not use Healing Wish again. I can fight my own battles, and you don't have to spend your energy helping me.'

Mesprit stared back at her with hard eyes, as if she had heard the thought. Azelf glanced between the two of them with a both anxious and amused expression. Then his tails twitched, and he began to talk to Esther.

**'You need to come back.'**

'Do I?'

**'Don't argue. Just do it.'**

Esther was concerned by his somewhat urgent tone, so she decided against being a stubborn brat. She thought she saw surprise flit across Mesprit's face, as if the sprite could not believe that Esther did not put up more of a fight. Azelf turned and began to fly through the trees. Esther followed, Stella joining her. She looked at Chimchar's new trainer, and saw concern in her eyes.

"You don't have to be afraid of them, you know. They're just voices."

Esther shook her head, wanting to wail out all of the reasons she couldn't just ignore them. Nova growled lowly in her mind.

_'It's hard for fools to think logically.'_

'Stella's not a fool! She just doesn't understand.. it's not easy to imagine this bullshit.'

_'Not easy for a fool.'_

Esther rolled her eyes. She was not about to waste her time with this argument. Shutting out Nova, she looked at Stella again. 

"It's easy to say that. Not so easy to stick to it. Voices are complicated."

"Well at least you have company all the time," Stella tried to joke. Esther felt a flash of irritation at her ignorance, but shoved it down before Nova picked up the emotion and took advantage of it. Azelf halted at a clearing, then looked at Stella and Mesprit, his expression now unreadable.

**'I'd like to talk with Esther alone, please. Mesprit, you can take them back to the lab.'**

He didn't wait for a response, diving straight into the trees and waiting for Esther to follow. When she caught up, he turned to her with an inquisitive look through fulvous eyes. 

**'Did you fall asleep while you were there?'**

Esther was perplexed. Why was he questioning this? She had briefly fallen asleep, then she had that weird interaction with an unknown entity in a dream-like state. However, she had been asleep for such a short time, she was unsure of whether she should say she did or not. Eventually, she nodded slowly. Azelf acknowledged her gesture with visible curiosity. Then he fixed her with a gaze so intense that she felt as if he was looking straight through her soul. 

**'Did you dream?'**

"..It wasn't really a dream. It was so brief.. I got forced out of it so fast by Piplup's attack."

Esther did not mention how the entity shoved her. It seemed unnecessary and something she could keep to herself. She remembered that the strange voice had told her about a 'friend.' It was not hard to figure out that her 'friend' was her starter Pokemon, and it was likely Piplup, unless Rowan had a mysterious fourth Pokemon up his sleeve. 

Azelf slowly nodded in response, his expression once again growing unreadable. He fell deeply into thought, before he raised his head and stared at her.

**'Let's go back to the lab. I want to talk to Uxie. Esther, don't repeat what the entity said to you to anyone else. Anyone.'**

_'Is he talking about us? What an idiot.'_ Nova's voice popped up. Azelf glared at Esther, though Esther could not tell if that was because of Nova or her. Then the Willpower Pokemon turned and flew through the trees, Esther struggling to keep up. Eventually, she staggered and tripped, and Azelf vanished. She let out a huff of frustration, the forest around her was completely unfamiliar. A sigh sounded in her head, sounding slightly more metallic than usual. 

_'You're on the right track, for once. Keep going forward, you'll get back on the trail soon.'_

Esther rolled her eyes, but obeyed out of her own version of common sense- regular common sense did not include obeying random voices in your head, but Esther trusted Nova with a lot of these things at this point. She sighed quietly, thinking about her theory about Nova, which seemed more and more likely at every moment that it spoke to her. 

_..Please don't let it be true,_ she prayed to herself.

Esther pushed her way out of the bushes, and emerged onto the trail. Nova was right, as always when it came to navigation. To her surprise, Azelf was waiting for her. His expression darkened when he saw her, and Esther winced. He murmured something to himself, but Esther picked it up.

**'They led her out.'**

Esther tried to act like she had not heard what he said, but she could feel the fear rising inside her. Azelf's right tail tapped her forehead, and she blinked, reality coming back to her. 

**'Let's go.'** he said briskly.

Esther picked up her pace down the trail, racing for the lab with a sudden determination. She was unsure of why she felt this urgency to get back to the lab, but she did. She wanted answers, and she had a feeling the lab would be the place where she found some of them. Seeing the recognizable building in the distance, she sped up even more, refusing to slow down even as she felt her chest tighten. 

Then the door opened, and she halted in surprise as she saw Piplup standing right in front of her. Stella was sitting in a chair at an empty desk, and Calvin stood in the corner, his gaze shadowed and haunted as if he had seen something that nobody else had. 

Esther had previously spoken to him about his dream.. but she felt as if something was bothering him. What he had spoken to her about last time.. the voice and the legendary Pokemon that kept haunting both her waking and dream worlds. 

\---

_"Do you think Palkia might have anything to do with this voice you've been hearing?"_

_Esther stopped dead in her tracks, feeling horror and anger at the thought. She glared at Calvin. "We are not talking about that." Calvin simply returned the glare, refusing to care._

_"You pressured me, so I get to pressure you. Now, answer my question." he spoke in a matching tone, not showing any trace of fear. Esther was surprised, but she regained her composure quite easily._

\---

Nova had always refused to talk about the dragons, their tone always growing cold and guarded at the mention of them. Esther never pressed, out of fear of what the voice might do to her. She was aware of the influence that Nova had over her, and she did not want to push the boundary. It wasn't fair! Esther didn't think anybody else has a voice intruding on their thoughts every waking hour. What made Esther so special.. or so unlucky? 

Why did everything point to her theory? 

Piplup launched a Bubble Beam at her face, and she yelped at the cold contact with the attack, springing back. She put her hands on her hips and put on the fiercest glare she could muster, satisfaction oozing into her mind as Piplup winced. Then she immediately felt guilty as the Pokemon took a step backwards. She lifted her hands apologetically, and it relaxed. 

"Sorry, bud."

Piplup began to approach her the same way it had earlier, this time with less confidence. It clearly knew that it was stuck with her and she was stuck with it. Slowly, it glanced up at her, gave her a curt nod, and then pressed a tiny beak against her hand. Esther didn't dare move. Then it gave a cheerful 'pip!' and plopped down. The girl sighed in relief and began to pet the water type's head.

"Finally, a water type that I like!" 

Somebody moved at the corner of her vision, and she turned to see Lucas, an amused expression on his face.

"Congratulations, you have a Pokemon now. It's good that it's a water type you like, because you guys are partners for life. No choices in the matter." 

Esther stared at him, before realizing that he was half-joking. She snorted. At least not all water types were bothersome, cryptic, or flat-out weird. She felt darkness sparkling on the edge of her vision, and somebody tapped her shoulder. It was Stella, of course.

"You're tired," The other newbie's eyes held concern. 

"Tired..?" Esther repeated the word to herself, feeling as if she had never heard it before, before she remembered the meaning. She shivered, and saw the same exhaustion in Piplup's eyes. Weird.. it had been fine a few minutes earlier. Esther stood up. She would not let herself pass out in front of everyone again. Her hands touched the ground and she pushed herself up. Then she turned and, willing her legs to move, headed for her temporary room. She heard steps behind her, and saw Piplup racing to join her. She no longer had any energy to protest, merely collapsing on the bed and letting Piplup curl up on the pillow. Esther wanted to open her eyes as she heard Airlith's voice in her head. 

'Good luck, Esther. With that Pokemon, you're going to need it.'

Esther finally found the energy to open her eyes a narrow slit, then she immediately jumped awake as she realized that she was not in her room. Her eyes widened with shock as she saw Piplup beside her. Was she already dreaming about her supposed partner? She took a step towards her starter, and then halted as a shadow fell over her and the Pokemon. Esther whirled around to find the source of the shadow, and her heart immediately sank and she inhaled sharply. The Pokemon hovering over them was Palkia.

"What do you want?" 

Unreadable, sparkling red eyes bored into her own, and Esther felt a pang of nervousness at the scrutiny that was worse than when she had the attention of all three lake guardians. Her eyes widened in surprise when she heard a response, the voice sounding like the one from her earlier 'dream.'

_'For you to not be so scared, first of all.'_

Piplup joined Esther, staring at Palkia with such an indignant expression that Esther almost burst out laughing. It was probably strange for the starter to see a legendary Pokemon almost the instant she got a trainer. Esther could not help but feel amused by the indignancy that the proud Pokemon was showing now. Piplup took a step closer to the deity, and let out a fierce noise that sent new chills up Esther's spine. 

"Piplup, st-" Esther did not even have time to finish her statement before Piplup launched herself at the larger creature, beak glowing white as she prepared an attack. The trainer felt a pang of dismay, then blinked as the white Pokemon vanished. Piplup landed on the grass, blinking in confusion, before it reappeared right in front of Piplup and lightly poked her. Esther felt herself rising in anger and fear, but it quickly turned to confusion and curiosity as she realized that it had not hurt Piplup. 

Piplup did not think the same way, as she squealed in terror and anger and sprang back. Drawing her head back, she prepared to use Bubble Beam. This time, Esther bolted forward and grabbed her partner before she could attack the clearly amused dragon type. Esther pulled her back until she was certain she was out of reach, provoking an amused growl. She longed to hear something in her head for the first time ever, the voices were oddly quiet, even Nova did not make a snarky remark about how scared Esther was right now. 

_'Are you listening for them, little one?'_ The deity asked her gently. 

Esther blinked in surprise as the question was asked. "How did you know?"

_'Just a hunch. It's hard to not have something after having it for so long.'_

"..Did you do something to them?"

_'They won't talk while you're talking to me. They never do.'_

"..They never do?"

Those sparkling eyes rested on her, holding a series of emotions that Esther could barely take in with how many there were. Frustration, sorrow, concern, regret.. pity. She wrinkled her nose as she recognized the pity. There was nothing she hated more than pity. There was something else in there too.. something that she didn't recognize, but it filled her with its warmth.

_'You've known since the first dream, dear. Don't lie to yourself, or to me.'_

Esther was silent, and Piplup took the opportunity to slip out of her arms. She half expected Piplup to have another go at Palkia, but the starter turned to Esther instead, concern visible. It took her a moment to find words, but she finally managed it, voice shaking.

"I-I know.. it's just.. I just.. didn't want to think it was true."

_'You didn't expect to be given the attention of a legendary Pokemon.'_

Esther mutely nodded, and found herself falling into the flashback of her conversation with Calvin once again. 

\---

_"In all honesty? Yes. Either the voice knows something about Palkia or Palkia knows something about the voice. But the voice won't answer my questions, and it's not like I have any way to find Palkia and ask. Not like it would take even one moment to listen." She placed one hand on her head, feeling sadness well up inside her. It would never happen. Calvin gave her a sympathetic look. He placed one hand on her shoulder, and this time, she didn't shrug it off, just let his hand rest there for a moment. It was good to feel an inch of comfort from time to time. Then she picked up the pace to catch up with Stella._

\---

Unlike others she had known, both people and Pokemon, the legendary Pokemon did not try to force her to come back to the present moment. It simply sat there in a serene manner, and waited for her to come back on her own time. Esther stared, unwilling to move as she felt the familiar horror and hurt welling up inside her. 

"But.. you sound.. different."

_'Telepathy allows you to alter your voice with some experience. I did that with Nova.'_

"Why?"

There was no reply for a moment, and then she sensed a rising contempt from her.. acquaintance. 

_'Dialga and Giratina are paranoid idiots. They think telepathy might damage humans. So I tried to disguise myself so they wouldn't notice.'_ There was a snort. _'Before you say I damaged you, no, I didn't. There was pain but there was no damage left behind.'_

"Wounds go deeper than physical pain." Esther immediately flashed back, feeling a strange anger at the inconsiderate comment. Then it immediately turned to guilt as she recieved nothing more than a surprisingly compassionate blink. 

_'I didn't say that they didn't. Have I left a single wound in your heart?'_ Its tone was gentle, worried even. 

"Yes!" Esther snapped, then she halted as she thought again. Her annoyance grew as she saw it waiting patiently for a more thought out reply. 

Had it hurt her? Esther almost wanted to think yes, just so she could be right. However, she already knew she wasn't. Palkia hadn't truly hurt her. It had put her through pain, but it left no wounds. "..No," she finally admitted, her shoulders giving out in defeat. Piplup nudged her lightly, and she felt the massive legendary moving towards her. Esther didn't dare move until she felt it caress her with large claws, the soft touch almost tickling her. A strange tingling feeling followed. She looked up, seeing.. so much compassion in the creature's eyes. Esther was about to look away when it spoke again, voice soft and affectionate.

_'Come.'_

Esther stood up, feeling a strange curiosity swelling up inside of her as she was led to a pool. She stared at her own reflection in the pool, then watched as the water began to ripple, and slowly, the reflection changed. 

"Minya! We'll never make it in this storm! We have to go back!"

"Never! We have to get to them!"

"There's danger up there!" 

"We've faced danger before. Are you guys scared of the Pokemon that we've put our trust in for so long?" 

"The crystal is giving me a bad feeling.. I don't think we should be here, Minya."

"But.."

A deafening screech interrupted who Esther assumed to be Minya's protest, and Esther stumbled back, covering her ears. She tried her best to shut out the noise, feeling terror blocking her senses. Piplup stared at her anxiously, and slowly, Esther unplugged her ears. She fought down her terror and went over to the pool again, and found that the scene disappeared, leaving the reflection of Esther's reddened face on the still water. 

"What happened?" she murmured, not sure if she was talking to herself or the two Pokemon who were there with her. 

_'Please help us.'_

Esther turned to stare in surprise and disbelief at the white Pokemon, and she saw pleading, perhaps even desperation, in those odd-looking eyes. Help them? Help them with what? How in the world could she help? She was just a useless newbie.

"..Are you so desperate for 'help' that you and your friends go bother brand new trainers? Or is this some weird prank-type act?" 

_'We wouldn't have to bother new trainers if it weren't for Cyrus and that stupid chain wiping all the spirit from the all the veterans except for those three!'_

Esther stepped forward, challenging words falling out of her mouth. "Why were we left out?"

_'Do you think we know everything? If we did, this would have been over in a heartbeat!'_ The response came out as an frustrated snarl, and Esther was taken aback. She stepped backwards, beginning to tremble a bit, but it moved towards her as she did, expression softening as it cooed soothingly. Esther felt even angrier at that. If this was what came with still having spirit.. Esther wished she had been wiped as well. Her hand curled into a fist as she exploded. 

"I don't want to get caught up in your guys' stupid politics!" She flung each and every word as hard as she could at the space deity. "I don't want to have spirit if it means I'm like this.. obligated to help all of you. I want to be normal. I want to go about challenging the gyms, fight the league, and maybe the champion. Why can't I just live normally? Why do you guys have to ask me for help? I'm useless!"

Esther flung those last two words out the hardest, and it stepped towards her, picking up one of her arms and stroking it. _'Don't ever call yourself useless. Ever. I won't stand for it. But answer one question for me, okay? Is living in a world where everybody feels dead considered normal to you, little one?'_

Esther fell silent once again as the question hung in the air. This time, she didn't have an answer. Was this normal? The Pokemon's tone grew gentler as it continued on. 

_'I didn't think so. This isn't just "politics," Esther. This affects you and your life personally. You may have voices, but even voices seem like an everyday thing compared to this situation. If you want things to be normal, then help us. You won't be alone. You aren't useless now and you won't be useless then. You guys can make all the difference in this cursed world right now. We just need you guys to say yes.'_

Esther knew exactly what helping them would mean. Even though it might return the world to normal if they succeeded, Esther and the other two would never be normal again. They would never go through this world like any other trainer. They would be on a constant mission, they would be like heroes if anyone found out. There would be no time to enjoy the journey. 

_Say no. Say no. You want to be normal. Say no._

Esther touched her head, which was a grim reminder of what she had known all along. She was not normal. She had never been normal, not once. These voices that had spoken since her birth, they eliminated the possibility of her being normal. So what was the point trying to be normal?

_Say no._

Esther sighed, and looked up.

"I'll help you guys."

Another soothing coo sounded, then she woke up in a cold sweat. Was that all? She blinked, taking in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that Piplup was still asleep. The second thing she noticed was that Uxie and Azelf were sitting on the end table, watching her. 

**'Well?'**

It was Azelf who prompted her to speak. Did he and the other sprites have something to do with the dream? Esther lifted her arms in a helpless shrug.

"What am I supposed to say? Aren't you guys all-knowing?"

**'I may be a nerd, but I do not know everything that happens in the dream world.'** Uxie's softer voice spoke up. 

"Great. I guess you guys are going to have a party in my head." 

_'Get up, Esther. Something's happening.'_

"Suppose I believe you when you say who you say you are. Not saying I don't. How am I supposed to talk to a god who also happens to be a snark overlord?" Esther murmured out loud.

_'The same way as before. It's hilarious to listen to.'_

Esther snorted, but stood up and glanced at Uxie and Azelf, but they were lifting into the air and flying out of the room. 

"Not even a thank you?" she muttered.

_'Thank you. It does mean a lot, Esther.'_

Esther found that she was actually terrified. What did she agree to do? She did not ask the question out loud, but clearly it picked up her fear due to the next response, in the same gentle tone that it had used with her for most of the dream.

_'Just focus on your journey for now, little one. You don't have to be afraid.'_

Focusing on her new journey was the thing she wanted to do more than anything right now, so Esther eagerly obeyed, shaking Piplup awake, picking up the water type, and heading out. She saw the five other trainers waiting outside for her, along with the lake guardians and the professor. Mesprit narrowed her eyes at Esther. 

"Sorry," she muttered. However, she saw amusement on the pixie's face, and quickly relaxed, but still felt a pang of annoyance.

_Great. I have to pick between having an angry lake guardian or an obnoxious space god on my ass. If I conceal my emotions, Mesprit gets pissed. If I don't, Palkia starts shoving itself into my business and leaving me wrong-footed every fucking time. Mesprit probably won't be bothering with me soon, so maybe I won't have to make that choice._

However, she felt someone tap her and she saw Calvin right next to her. He didn't seem as bothered as he had yesterday, and he playfully pushed her towards the professor, who handed her a Pokeball and a machine that she recognized as a Pokedex.

"This is Piplup's Pokeball. This Pokedex is meant for you to record data on any Pokemon you encounter and keep track of how your own Pokemon are doing, what moves they know, and their general health conditions."

Esther put Piplup on the ground, not like having to hold two objects and a Pokemon at the same time. She saw that Stella had the same two objects, except her Pokedex was orangish-red instead of Esther's purple one. Esther nodded to the girl, and Stella looked up and waved. 

"Hi, Esther. Thanks for letting me have Spark." 

"Is that Chimchar's nickname?" Esther asked. Stella nodded, beaming. 

"Well?" Rowan's voice interrupted their interaction. "Your journey begins here."

Esther felt herself sway. They were going to have a journey! She looked down at Piplup, trying to think of her own nickname. She wanted her starter to feel even more special than she already was. Her eyes lingered there, before Stella tapped her.

"We should talk," her gaze flicked towards Calvin nervously. "All three of us." Stella sounded surprisingly calm despite her nervous expression. She didn't wait for a reply from Esther or Calvin, she turned and left the room. Esther exchanged a helpless look with Calvin before he shrugged and followed. Esther sighed but pursued them. When they were out of earshot of the others, Stella whirled to face Calvin and Esther. 

"So? How is this going to work?"

Esther tilted her head, but Calvin was looking thoughtful. He tapped his finger on the wall for a few moments before speaking up.

"We should focus on getting stronger and closer to our Pokemon. We can't exactly do anything with three young and inexperienced Pokemon. I don't know what's going on, but there's nothing we can do with how we currently are."

Stella's eyes widened at his blunt words, and Piplup stomped a foot. Calvin stared down at Esther's starter Pokemon without a hint of sympathy in his cold eyes. 

"The truth hurts, but you won't be weak for long."

Esther shuddered at the challenge in his voice. They would have to be strong. She wondered if she should mention her dream, but Stella was already getting around to that.

"Have either of you had any weird occurrences again?"

Esther shuffled her feet, wondering if she should speak up about everything that happened in her dream, most importantly what she had learned. To her relief, Calvin spoke up before she was forced to say anything.

"I haven't seen anything besides the dream I told Esther about."

Esther recalled Calvin's explanation about how Dialga showed him the incident that put everyone in this situation. She shuddered. Suddenly Palkia didn't seem so bad in comparison. Suddenly, she felt the gazes of Calvin and Stella burning into her.

"What about you, Esther?" Calvin prompted, his expression unreadable. 

"Nothing," she mumbled, deciding to keep what happened private. Calvin's eyes bored into her, but Stella seemed content, almost relieved even.

"I guess that means we can focus on our journeys for now, like Calvin said." 

"Giratina hasn't messed with you at all?" Esther inquired. 

"Has Palkia?" Stella countered instantly.

_Yes!_

"..No." 

"There we go." 

Esther shrugged, feeling herself beginning to grow annoyed. Was Stella hiding something? Was Calvin? If she could, they could. Stella didn't seem like the type to hide her feelings though. Then again, everybody had their secrets.

She returned Piplup to her Pokeball and faced the other two. "Well, we'll have to find ways to keep in contact with eachother. Why don't we meet eachother in Eterna City in three weeks? It'll be an easy journey to make, and there's a Gym there, right?" 

Calvin nodded, still deep in thought. Stella looked more hesitant. Esther narrowed her eyes, and Stella got the message, simply nodding with an irritated expression. Was Stella trying to be difficult? Esther wasn't eager to find out, deliberately trying to harden her expression. Stella flinched, and Esther guessed it had worked. 

"I'm going. See you guys in three weeks. Bye." she grunted.

Then she left the room, feeling herself shiver at her own sudden coldness. What was wrong with her? Esther left the lab before she could get caught in her own thoughts, giving a curt nod to the professor and the three veterans who were quietly conversing on her way out. Then she headed on, not towards Lake Verity this time, but towards the direction that she knew Jubilife City was in. 

**'Good luck, Esther.'** Azelf's voice rang in her mind, and her head snapped around to stare at the blue pixie. He nodded to her, then glanced to the east. **'I'm heading back to Lake Valor for now. I look forward to seeing you again. Stay strong, despite how much of a pain my sister can be.'**

_Great. Is everyone going to leave?_

Azelf blinked slowly, before taking off. Esther watched him until he was completely out of her sight. Then she let out Piplup, crouching down beside her. 

"Let's make the best of this, okay? I'm going to call you Aurora." 

Aurora nodded, though wide dark blue eyes stared challengingly into Esther's green ones. Esther nodded, feeling slightly embarassed, and started to race down into the grass. She didn't know how she was going to manage with a bunch of annoying voices, one being a literal god, and an extremely prideful and stubborn starter, but she would manage. As she breathed in the smell of the tall plants around her, she could be sure of one thing.

This was going to be a very strange journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had Esther figure out about the voice and Palkia in a later chapter, but it was made blatantly obvious in the previous chapter with Esther, so I decided to just get it down so I can focus on more important plot points. I'm really eager to start on Calvin and Stella's chapters, so keep an eye out for those, and we'll be figuring out more of what actually happened to the creation trio in the next chapter.  
Also I finally figure out HTML text are you guys proud of me yet 🥺🥺


	8. Contained

Growth was bounding on ahead, having amazing speed for such a heavy Pokemon. Calvin watched him, still thinking about how the conversation with the other two trainers went. Stella had seemed defensive and Esther had seemed annoyed. They had to be hiding something as well. However, if it was that important, they would have shared it. He was certain of that much. Catching up to Growth, he found his starter Pokemon rubbing against a tree with a content expression on his face. He chuckled at the sight, wondering how much he had been let into the forest when he was waiting to find a trainer. Crouching down, he spoke to Growth. 

"We'll go for plenty of forest walks now that we have the whole region to explore."

Growth paused, his straw-colored eyes meeting Calvin's curiously. Calvin firmly believed that all Pokemon could understand some human speech. After all, they responded to commands to use certain moves. He prayed that his starter at the least could understand what he was saying. Finally, Growth gave a happy nod and continued rubbing up against a tree. It occured to Calvin that he should check the Turtwig's moves. Pulling out the Pokedex, he adjusted it until it recognized Growth's species, and pulled up it's moves. 

"Tackle, Withdraw, and Absorb." he muttered to himself. 

It wasn't terrible for being a young and inexperienced Pokemon. Growth stared at him with a new anxiety, which he didn't understand. Calvin touched his starter's head lightly and continued on the path. 

"We'll get you all trained up. You show some promise for a starter Pokemon, I'm glad I picked you."

Growth made a confused noise and Calvin glanced back. He felt his own confusion growing as he saw the sadness in Growth's eyes. Did he do something wrong? Calvin looked away guiltily. Then he halted as he saw a movement in the trees. What was that? He started to move forward, but halted as he saw nothing. Perhaps it was just the wind, but he could hardly feel the breeze around here. Growth bounded to join him, sadness forgotten. Calvin listened for another ten seconds, then decided to continue his trek through the grass. He did this until a soft, telepathic voice rang in his head.

**'Calvin.'**

The boy looked around until he spotted the lake guardian watching him, despite having closed eyes. It unnerved him, the fact that Uxie could track him so easily without being bound by the limits of closed eyes.

**'I see better with my mind than I ever can with my eyes, on the rare occasion that I do open them.'**

Calvin blinked in surprise, then remembered that this creature could probably read his thoughts when telepathically linked. Uxie nodded as the trainer remembered this, then Calvin noticed that Uxie's tail tips were twitching. 

"Are you okay?"

**'Calvin, please heed caution in your journey.'**

Calvin closed his hands into fists. Was Uxie going to be vague as well? He forced himself not to roll his eyes, but Uxie must have sensed his irritation, as his tails swished again.

**'I understand your frustration, my curious friend. However, some things are better left found then given. All we can do is warn you, we cannot control fate.'**

Calvin tilted his head at Uxie, forcing himself to relax a little bit. Though it was hard, consider how much lack of clarity annoyed him. However, Uxie did not instigate his irritation any further, instead nodding slowly.

**'I am going back to Lake Acuity. My siblings are also heading back to their own lakes. I await the time where we meet again, Calvin.'**

With that, Uxie vanished right before his eyes, and Calvin found himself simply staring at the spot where the lake guardian had just been. Why was everyone so determined to be vague? Why was Uxie, the embodiment of knowledge, choosing not to tell him these things? What did Uxie know about Calvin's future that Calvin did not? Why was everyone so determined to keep these things hidden when it would be better off just revealing them? 

Calvin's eyes closed briefly, and a blue light seemed to overtake his vision. He was being thrown into a cold metal wall, the sound of a door slamming almost deafened him. Red eyes suddenly burned into his mind, and his eyes snapped open again, icy shock washing over him as he stumbled. Growth turned to look back at him, and he took a deep breath.

_What was that? It felt so.. real._

Calvin stood there and pondered what had just happened for a few long moments, until a screech interrupted his thoughts and he looked up. His heartrate sped up as he met the black and white creature's dark eyes. This was an oddly familiar Pokemon. A simple Starly, but something seemed.. strange about this one. 

Then in an instant, it hit him like a truck.

This was the Starly that Mesprit had saved him from on his first day out. 

Calvin nearly stumbled again as he gaped at the creature that was hovering above their heads, blocking out the light of the sun for. It seemed to recognize who he was as well, as it began letting out friendly but teasing trills. He blinked at it as it began circling above them, chirping in C Minor. Suddenly, it wheeled to face him, letting out a fierce cry that seemed to hold a friendly challenge. Calvin hesitated, but his open mouth slowly formed into an excited grin. 

"Growth!" he called to his starter. "Ready for our first spin?"

Growth bounded over and skidded to a halt in front of him, jumping and doing a full 180 spin to face Starly, who now glared down at the two. The tiny creature's yellow eyes now held a spark of excitement at the thought of battle. Starly let out another screech and took off, spinning as it began to glow a silvery color, and surged towards Growth. Growth tensed, waiting for a command from Calvin, who did not take his eyes off of their opponent for a single second. 

"Wait for it to get close." he murmured to Growth, who blinked but braced himself for the incoming Quick Attack. When Starly was only a couple meters away from Growth, Calvin threw out his hand and shouted, "Use Tackle!" Growth immediately surged forward, ramming head on into the Starly. Both seemed stunned for a long moment, but Starly recovered first, soaring back up into the air before Growth could restabilize. 

_This isn't going to be easy. Starly has a massive advantage, and it looks like Growth took more damage from Starly's attack than Starly did from Growth's. The question is.. what moves does it have? I know Quick Attack, but.._

Calvin closed his eyes, planning out his next few moves, before his eyes flew open and as Starly darted back in for another Quick Attack, he called to Growth again. "Use Withdraw!" Growth briefly curled into his shell-like spine, shimmering slightly as Starly slammed into him again. It did not seem like he took as much damage this time thanks to the defensive boost, so Growth recovered his balance far more quickly this time and sprang to his feet, ready for more. 

Starly puffed up its chest and let out an intimidating trill that resembled a growl. Growth eyed the flying type nervously as Calvin realized that it had just used its own version of Growl. He curled his hand into a fist. They could not play on the defensive forever. Calvin carefully studied Starly as it prepared to attack again before diving down. "Use Absorb!" As soon as Starly crashed into Growth, a green aura lit up the grass type's body and Starly briefly swayed, but did not seem too affected. Grass moves would not be very effective against it, but Growth needed that small amount of restoration.

"Growth." he murmured to his starter as Starly swooped back up. "Do you think you can pin it down the next time it comes?" Growth looked at him, pupils dilating as he pondered Calvin's request as if it was a million dollar question. Then a small smirk formed on the creature's face and it turned to face the incoming Starly. If this did not work.. Calvin refused to think about the consequences. He watched as Growth took a giant leap, slamming his full weight onto Starly as the flying type grew close. 

Whatever Starly had been expecting, this clearly was not it, as it shrieked in surprise and plummeted, unable to bear the weight of the heavier Pokemon. Calvin almost winced at the thud, but he could see that Starly was stunned. "Use Tackle!" Growth briefly stepped off of Starly, before charging at the creature and slamming into it head-on, sending it flying back into the air. Calvin immediately took advantage of this, pulling out a Pokeball and throwing it up towards Starly. 

It sucked in Starly like a vaccum sucking up dirt, and Calvin shuddered as the ball hit the ground, wobbling once. Then twice. One last time, and then it clicked. Was that it? The battle had felt so short.. Calvin walked over to the ball and carefully picked it up, staring at it. He could see his own reflection in the shiny red and white surface. Growth cautiously creeped over to him, and he crouched down, rubbing his starter's back gently. "That was awesome for your first battle, bud." The sound of somebody clapping startled him. "It sure was!"

Calvin turned around, ready for anything, and quickly relaxed as he recognize Dawn. Her blue eyes were twinkling as she stared at the Pokeball in Calvin's hand. "That was some very impressive coordination. If I hadn't met you already, I wouldn't think for a moment that it was your guys' first!" Calvin was surprised at her sudden friendliness towards him, but he welcomed it, standing up and brushing the dirt off his knees. "How long were you there?"

"I came with Uxie." Dawn responded, her expression growing serious. "I know you've been warned several times about this, but they're right. Always be careful in your journey." Her arms crossed. "Though you're not the one I'm worried about." Calvin tipped his head. "Who, then?" Dawn hesitated, then finally looked downwards. "I'm worried about both Stella and Esther." she admitted. "Stella because she's so.." 

"Touchy? Sensitive?" Calvin suggested. Dawn smiled slightly and nodded. "There are going to be stressful points of the journey, and I'm worried about how she'll handle them. She seems so nervous to not be able to be around other people. She doesn't recognize that she's not alone." Calvin could feel his own concern welling up as she went on. "You got lucky with Dialga. Giratina's already caused Stella a ton of stress."

"You could say the same thing about Palkia and Esther, but the situation's even worse because already, Palkia has approached Esther more than it should have." Calvin pointed out, and Dawn nodded, eyes glittering. "I hope the trio is going easy on you guys. You guys are only newbies." Then she smiled again. "Enough of my worry. Have fun on your journey. Good luck with the gyms if you decide to challenge them!"

Then she stepped back and started to head back towards the direction of Sandgem Town. Calvin watched her as she became a silhouette and very slowly vanished altogether, far beyond his perception. He stared towards the bleak morning sky, his fingers tracing over the Pokeball's smooth surface, before he put it back in his pocket and pulled out Growth's. "You deserve a rest." he told the Turtwig softly. His starter yawned as he was recalled into his ball, and Calvin put it away and continued along the path, deciding to get to the next city or town before he got involved in any more battles. With a sigh, he continued along his way, keeping his eyes on the ground as he walked along. 

It was only when he heard the sound of voices did he look up, and to his surprise, there was buildings in front of him, looking more.. modern than anything he had ever seen in real life. His eyes took in everything around him. Most of the buildings towered far above his head and looked incredibly polished. He glanced around, undecided on what he wanted to do here, let alone what he could do here. A building with an orange roof caught his eye. Calvin knew what these were. He headed over to it hurriedly, and watched the automatic door open. Taking one glance around the one-roomed building, he spotted the woman in the middle, who gave him a blank stare as he approached the desk. "Hello. Would you like me to heal your Pokemon?"

Calvin nodded mutely, pulling out both Pokeballs and placing them on the desk. She gently took a hold of them and set them in two slots on a machine. The woman typed a command into the keyboard, and a satisfying sequence of musical notes followed, ending at a high E. She picked up the Pokeballs and placed them on the desk, expression remaining blank. "Your Pokemon have been restored to full health. We.. hope to see you again.."

Calvin nodded his thanks and picked up the Pokeballs, placing them back in his pocket and exiting the building, glancing around wearily. This city had.. a lot of people. Too many for his liking, if he was going to be honest. Suddenly, his attention fell onto a man heading towards him, staring at his wrist with his eyes empty. He was about to say something when the man stopped in front of him.

"Are you.. a trainer? And yet you have no Poketch?" he questioned, voice low and not showing any enthusiasm. 

Calvin narrowed his eyes. "A Poketch? What is a a Poketch?" 

If the man could experience emotion, he did not show it. "You are a rare case. You see, I invented, and now manufacture, Poketches, or Pokemon Watches. Not only that, I'm now.. conducting the Poketch promotional campaign. All you have to do is find three clowns in Jubilife City. If you can find them... I will give you a Poketch." 

The man fell silent, and Calvin realized he was awaiting a response. He pondered for a moment, but finally decided to give this little game a whirl, nodding. The man returned the nod. "Excellent. The three clowns will each ask you a question. The questions will all have to do with Pokemon. After all, a Poketch is a tool for Pokemon trainers. Collect a Coupon from each clown, then come see me."

_Oh, joy._

Calvin had to force himself not to roll his eyes as he walked away. He had a feeling it would be all the more irritating if the man had shown any sign of emotion, yet it upset him that they did not have those opportunities anymore. He could almost imagine exactly how the conversation would go, it was saddening to think he might never do that again. As he thought that, red eyes suddenly burned into his mind again and he stiffened, closing his eyes. 

_'If you would help us, he would.'_

Calvin's eyes flew open in shock as he heard this voice, swallowing as he tried to keep himself composed. Trying to ignore the sudden headache, he started looking around. It was only a short walk before he caught sight of a man in an orange and yellow clown suit. He could not hold down a snort, but it was quiet enough that nobody heard him. Calvin headed towards the clown, who spotted him. 

"Greetings, trainer." he sighed, as if sick of this job. Calvin would not blame him, but he knew exactly why this clown was so exhausted. 

"I assume you are here to recieve a coupon. So here's your question: does a Pokemon grow by defeating others and gaining experience?" This was an obvious question for Calvin. "Yes." 

The clown would have smiled if he could, causing Calvin to feel a twinge of sadness and sympathy. "Excellent. Pokemon grow stronger after defeating other Pokemon in battles. Here is your first coupon." He handed the small slip to Calvin and turned away without saying anything more. 

Calvin almost wanted to continue the conversation, but decided against it and headed for the fountain. Reaching the device, he glanced around, and spotted a second clown. Wanting to get this over with as fast as possible, he speed walked over to the clown and waited for the second question. 

"Just like Pokemon types, do the moves of the Pokemon also have types?" Calvin nodded and the clown replied. "If the Pokemon's matches its move's type... that move is made much more powerful."

Calvin was able to see the third clown from where he currently was, and headed over to him. It was a fast but less obvious question, the man's low and tired voice scraping his ears. 

"Can a Pokemon hold an item?" Calvin normally would be stuck on a question like this, but thanks to reading up on Mega Evolution and the stones connected to the phenomenon, Calvin was able to conclude that Pokemon could hold items, and simply nodded like he had with the previous clown. 

"A Pokemon may hold a single item. Some items become effective as soon as they are held by a Pokemon. Berries are eaten by Pokemon as necessary during battles." Then Calvin recieved his third slip, and rushed over to where the first man was.

"OK, let me count your coupons. I'll use the Pokétch to do so..." Calvin's eyes almost popped out of his head. Could this stupid man not count to three? "One, two, three. Excellent. In return for these Coupons, I present you this Pokemon Watch, or Poketch for short." A strange looking blue device was slipped onto Calvin's wrist, and he pulled his hand back as quickly as possible. "You can add apps to your Poketch to make it more.. versatile.. touch the Poketch screen.. and do try it out."

Calvin nodded as he walked away, teeth gritted. He wanted to get out of this city as fast as possible. As he headed out onto the next route, he took in the scenery, finally letting out a relieved sigh as he smelled the grass. He began to walk, taking in the scenery as he did so. It was such a peaceful and calm place, yet Calvin felt unease crawling up his spine like a bug type that he couldn't swat off. 

Was he being watched?

_No._ Calvin desperately wanted to dismiss the thought, but it lingered in his head, hanging onto his conscience for dear life. He halted, and looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of whatever may be out there. Then something struck the back of his head like a truck, and the world went dark.

A dim red light was the first thing Calvin saw when he opened his eyes, the ground around him rumbling and cracking. The roar that followed reverberated around him, slicing his ears more painfully than any blade ever could. If he listened past the world-splitting shriek of the unknown entity, he could have sworn that he heard the pained screams of human beings and Pokemon alike. Then something glimmered at the edge of his vision, and he turned to see a chain that was oddly familiar at this point. Glowing a deep scarlet, the strange light pulsing in the depths of each individual crystal mesmerizing him, causing him to approach it, suddenly losing consciousness of the chaos around him in his desperation to study it. 

His hand reached out to touch the chain, and as soon as he came in to contact, the light grew far brighter and some mysterious force overtook him. Brighter it grew, and the feeling of being ripped away from something precious had never felt more real as it blinded him, and not with a bang, but a whimper, he was awake. The area around him was dimly lit, and he looked around, intrigued yet frightened. It looked like an.. office? Calvin wanted to stand up, but his migraine prevented him from gathering the motivation to move. 

It was only when he heard a door creaking that he craned his head to see whoever had entered. A woman in a rather strange-looking suit. Her eyes bored into Calvin like two twin suns. As she sat down in a seat in front of him, her nails scribbled at the wooden table that split the room in half. A long silence hung between the two of them, before she finally spoke, a single word in a sharp voice.

"Welcome."

Calvin's eyes narrowed at the attempt at politeness, and he scoffed. "Knocking me out and dragging me here doesn't come off as very welcoming, in case you were unaware." She merely took a breath in response. "Whoever is teaching kids their manners nowadays.. they need to do a better job."

"They clearly didn't teach you any manners!" Calvin snapped. This woman was already getting on his nerves, and he knew that he had made a mistake by expressing his irritation. She smirked briefly, before her face became an emotionless mask again. "I am aware that this situation is.. less than ideal for you." 

_Understatement of the century._

Calvin did not speak his mind, not wanting to satisfy this strange woman any more than he already had. She took his silence as an invitation to continue. "Unfortunately, we cannot tell you where you are. Do know that you will not be harmed, provided you comply with what we ask you to do." 

Calvin closed his eyes, contemplating what she said. He blinked once, then dared to ask a single question. "Why did you bring me here?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Do you think we're unaware of your connections?" she replied in a silky tone that did not match her expression. "You are too much of a threat to our plans for us to leave you.. uncontained." 

Calvin stiffened at the mention of his 'connections.' It did not take a mastermind to guess that she was referring to Uxie, and furthermore, Dialga. He did not want to admit to it, but there was clearly no admittance to be done. They knew. Did they know about Stella and Esther? Were they in danger as well?

"With that being said, you will have to stay here for now." The woman waved a hand, and two people with teal-colored bowlcuts entered the room and dragged Calvin out of his chair. He stumbled, not expecting the sudden manhandling. They pushed him out of the room and down the hall, until he was grabbed and a heavy-sounding door opened. Immediately, Calvin was shoved inside, and his head slammed against the wall, causing his world to go dark again.

This time, the dream was still ethereal, but not horrifying or overwhelming like the previous. Clouds shimmered with a strange light, passing beside him as he sat on what seemed to be a floating island. It was rather peaceful, and he embraced the brief quiet in the storm.

_'You're interesting.'_

The strange voice seemed to come from every direction at once. Calvin found it impossible to pinpoint a source. Turns out, he didn't need to, as a shadow fell over him, and he looked up. He didn't know how to feel about coming face-to-face with Dialga again. It was a strange feeling. Was he scared? Surprised? No, it wasn't surprising. Perhaps it was confusion, or curiosity. Finally, he managed out a few words, to form a question that he had been dying to ask.

"What do you want?"

Calvin stiffened as the creature's red eyes bored into him, as if it was looking directly into his soul. He wouldn't be surprised if it had been. If it was, it didn't make any comments on what it saw, instead floating down towards him, and circling around him. The trainer remained perfectly still as he was inspected. 

_'I didn't expect them to come after you three so soon.'_

Calvin's head snapped up. Were the girls in danger? He opened his mouth, but was interrupted.

_'They will be fine. Provided they aren't completely stupid.'_

Calvin decided not to press that matter or snap about that snipe about his intelligence, instead returning to his original question. "You never answered me."

_'...'_

The silence made Calvin twitch. Would it be subtle now? His hand curled into a ball.

_'I need you to listen for a moment, first off.'_ The dragon type finally stated. Calvin leaned forward, very interested to hear whatever it had to say after all this antagonism. _'And I need you to have a little patience. I know that is quite hard for you, but it is the only way we're going to get anything done.'_

The trainer blinked but did not reply, instead waiting. It took his silence as a sign to continue. _'First thing's first. I'm figuring out a way to get you out of there. It's too dangerous for you to stay there for any longer than a week.'_

"How would you be able to help?" Calvin muttered. He doubted that it would fly in to grab him and whisk him out, so the prospect slightly confused him. There was a chuckle as it shook its head and continued. _'It's a secret. But anyways, we need your help in return.'_

"Ah, a classic!" Calvin snapped, a fire raging inside him as his frustration came out. "You've been telling me to 'help you guys' for days on end, without any further communication on how the hell I do so. I bet you guys are doing the exact same thing to Stella and Esther. In fact, I guarantee that you guys are doing the exact same thing to them. Instead of regurgitating the same two words, why don't you tell us how we can help?" 

Calvin's miniature outburst didn't seem to faze Dialga in the slightest. In fact, it seemed more amused than anything. It sat down on the ground in front of them, tail sweeping the ground gently. _'There you go, with your lack of patience.'_

"More like my-"

_'Quiet, or I won't explain anything at all.'_

The trainer fell silent, tapping one foot impatiently. It sat down in front of him, curling its tail around its legs, and letting out a deep sigh as if explanations were just the hardest thing ever. _'Where do I even start?'_

"After Palkia sent away the veterans, like you showed me." Calvin prompted, feeling like he had any influence in this conversation for the first time. "What happened?" It sighed again, and Calvin wanted to poke it. _Stop doing that! It's annoying!_

_'We stayed behind to try and fight whatever Cyrus was doing. It was hopeless, that chain was too strong. It's infused with Father's power as well as our younger siblings'. There was no fighting against it. We had to escape, but there was.. complications.'_ Yet another sigh. _**Can you please stop doing that oh my lord.**_

_'Our abilities were compromised long enough for us to be captured. We attempted to find a way to escape. Surprisingly enough, it had been going well until we got.. transferred. Giratina broke out mid-transfer and didn't come back for days, leaving me and Palkia to tear eachother apart.'_

_Oh, boo-hoo,_ Calvin wanted to say. _A normal sibling relationship. How difficult your life must be, my deity friend._

It narrowed its small crimson eyes at him. _'Your snarky commentary is not helping your situation whatsoever. I've been in a mood for violent dismemberment as of lately, though that's usually more of Giratina's thing. Keep that in mind while thinking all those snarky thoughts of yours.'_

"Wow. Aren't you sensitive and incredibly nosy to be poking around my brain." Calvin muttered under his breath, before raising his voice. "Continue, instead of boring both of us with your talk about dismemberment." 

_'Eventually Giratina did come by though, and helped us break out. We had no clue what to do until Palkia decided to go idiotically spy on Team Galactic. We followed like the Wooloo we are.'_ A good-natured eyeroll followed this. _'Eventually we were able to find out that-'_ The ground began rumbling beneath their feet, and Calvin glanced up. "What is that?" 

It sighed. Again. _'You're waking up again. How tragic.'_ Its eyes bored into his. _'I'll tell you next time. If there is a next time. Don't do something stupid that will get you killed.' _

Calvin closed his eyes. "That should be easy enough. As for the thing that you've been asking for for like a week now.. I'll do what I can to help you guys. Even if you're being the most subtle Pokemon ever about it." 

It was too late for it to respond, as Calvin jerked awake, taking in his surroundings as soon as he recovered from the shock. He still had an absolutely massive headache, probably from how they had thrown him in here. There was a dim light coming from the green lamps surrounding him. Slowly sitting up, he discovered that there was a small table to the left of him, with a bowl of fruit sitting on it. He sighed, picking up an apple. They had thrown him in a dark room for virtually no reason, but at least they fed him. 

_Stop trying to find positives!_ These are very clearly evil people who probably want to kill you once they're done doing whatever they want to do with me.

As if reading his mind, he heard footsteps outside the metal door, and a slow creaking sound that was very much comparable to nails on chalkboard. Was this was the most rusty metal door to ever exist? He had no time to worry about the door being rusty. It was opening ever so slowly. Calvin narrowed his eyes and someone came into view. His eyes immediately widened.

He recognized this person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh HTML is so fucking annoying 🙄  
Anyways, thanks for being patient with this chapter. I know this took even longer than the last chapter, but once again, writer's block! I've also been editing some previous chapters to fix my mistakes and add some HTML into some of them, especially the first Esther chapter.  
I'm gonna be setting a quota for myself each week to try and avoid more blocks. I also want to try spicing up my characters a bit more, because right now they feel sort of bland. I feel like Stella is my best written character, hence why I'm excited to get started on her chapter.  
Another thing- I have a Tumblr blog so I can occasionally post updates and other things about this fanfic. It may seem extra considering how god awful this fanfic is, but I like to stay organized. 😅 The url is ripped-awayy.  
As for my commentary on this chapter- the Calvin-cliffhanger-classic! Anyways, I have no words for how god fucking awful this chapter really is (even in comparison to the rest of the fic), I'm so sorry to anyone who read this garbage pile. I really wanted to make it better but I couldn't find the motivation to spend time on what's basically a filler chapter.  
So, once again, apologies for anyone who took the time to read this garbage pile, I pity you having to cringe so hard but I also really appreciate you reading my shit. I'm also sorry if I sound attention-seeky by saying that this chapter is awful, but I'm really not looking for compliments at all, I just feel like I have written much better and this didn't live up to my expectations of myself.  
Ramble over, have a good day, or if you're like me and read AO3 fanfics at 3am, a good night.


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